The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Vancouver Canucks 2019 Draft
It’s time to reflect on everything that happened at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft for the Vancouver Canucks. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly, from draft weekend.
It was a busy draft for the Vancouver Canucks and general manager Jim Benning. The Canucks made a big splash, as expected, acquiring some help for their top six. Let’s break it down.
The Good
The good is obviously adding a stud Russian winger with size and skill in the form of Vasily Podkolzin. Although two years remaining on his KHL deal, Podkolzin seems like he wants to come do great things in the NHL with the Canucks as soon as that deal expires. Podkolzin is a solid goal scorer, and as I mentioned on Friday, was predicted to go much higher in the draft than 10th overall.
The second round pick, Nils Hoglander, is another pick that I’m happy about falling to the Canucks., and I think he’s going to play a key role on the team. An undersized player at 5’9, Hoglander is someone that both Benning and the Canucks’ Director of Amateur Scouting, Judd Brackett, are incredibly high on.
The #Canucks Director of Amateur Scouting, Judd Brackett, breaks down Vancouver's picks and mindset at the #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/i1eQ9V1nVD
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 22, 2019
The Canucks swung for the fences at the draft this year, going with picks who have high upside and high ceilings. The Canucks are hoping that all of their picks, not just Hoglander and Podkolzin, will be home runs, rather than strikeouts.
The good part is that it seems that every player the Canucks picked this year was a good decision. Most of us have learned to trust Brackett due to his success in recent years, and this year was no different. Every pick the Canucks made today looks good right now, but of course, we will have to wait and see how each of them pan out. As it stands, there isn’t one prospect they added this year that I don’t like.
Ethan Keppen is who the Canucks selected in the fourth round, and he seems like he has all the tools to be an effective NHL player. The young forward models his game after Jamie Benn and Matthew Tkachuk, and we know how effective those two are and the success they’ve had in the league. Keppen says that he likes to battle and can play in any situation. Sounds good to me, sign me up.
The Latvian goalie that the Canucks selected only adds to the team’s goaltending prospect pool, which was bolstered in March when the Canucks signed Jake Kielly out of the NCAA. The five additional forwards added are also nothing you can really complain about. Now, for the bad.
The Bad
Honestly, the only thing I would consider bad about this draft is that the team did not once select a defenceman. Now, the team has said they are looking to add to their blueline in free agency, but Benning also said he wouldn’t rule out acquiring another top six forward.
My only issue with selecting all forwards is that if you don’t draft defencemen, where are they going to come from? Free agency? Trades? At 40th overall, I turned to the person I was sitting beside at the draft and said, “They’re taking Kaedan Korczak here for sure.” A 6’2 right-handed defenceman who skates well for his size? What’s not to like?
Then they announced Hoglander, who I am extremely happy to see in a Canucks’ uniform. I think he’ll be a major piece to the puzzle going forward, but I still would not have minded seeing the team go after a big solid right-handed defenceman. Oh well, here’s hoping Hoglander turns out to be a major steal. Sure enough, the Vegas Golden Knights selected Korczak just one pick later at 41 overall.
The only bad I can really point to in this draft is not selecting a single defenceman. That being said, the team still has Brogan Rafferty and Josh Teves who they recently added, so it’s not like the cupboards are completely empty.
The Ugly
The ugly part of this draft is what it cost the Canucks to acquire J.T. Miller. Notice I said it was ugly, not bad. This trade has the potential to work out exceptionally well for Vancouver. Miller is going to provide the team with some legitimate secondary scoring, because as I’ve been writing ever since I was given a platform to do so, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, and Bo Horvat can’t do it alone — not for a full 82 games.
Miller can play all three forward positions and has the potential to surpass 20 goals. His career high is 23, which he recorded with the Rangers and Lighting in 2017-18. He scored 22 goals in back-to-back seasons with the Rangers before getting traded to the Lightning. To get him, however, the Canucks gave up a third-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional first-round pick in next year’s draft.
Now, at first, I was less than thrilled with this, seeing that the New Jersey Devils were able to acquire P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators for what was essentially two second-round picks (the players included in the deal have minimal value). As someone who almost always sees the glass as half full, this one was taking a little longer than normal for me to come around to.
Okay I don’t wanna be that guy, but if the price for P.K. Subban is basically two second round picks, isn’t a first and a third an overpayment for Miller?
— David Quadrelli (@QuadrelliD) June 22, 2019
The folks who replied to this tweet made some great points. Most notably that Subban is older and on a much less favourable contract than Miller’s. While Miller is still just 26 years old and getting paid $5.25 million for the next four years, Subban is 30 years old and is owed $9 million per season for the next three years.
Not only that, but take a look at how much the Philadelphia Flyers overpaid for Kevin Hayes, who was an upcoming unrestricted free agent. He received a seven-year deal with an annual average salary of $7.142 million. That’s a whole lot less than Miller’s deal, which much less long term commitment. If we’re so worried about Benning’s moves in free agency, shouldn’t we be happy that the team acquired a legitimate top-six forward without overpaying and committing to too much term?
That’s my silver lining, the fact that we are getting a good player on a favourable contract. I know Tampa was in a bit of a cap crunch, but Miller is a player who holds value, so while I wish we didn’t have to part ways with our 2020 first round pick — which becomes a 2021 first rounder if the Canucks miss the playoffs next year — sometimes you have to give up something of value to get something valuable back. I for one, cannot wait to see Miller in a Canucks uniform; hopefully wearing number 30 so I can bust out the old Ryan Miller jersey from 2015.
Next. 6 incredibly bold predictions for the Vancouver Canucks offseason. dark
All in all, it was a good draft for the Vancouver Canucks, and to me, the good that comes from the Miller trade and the whole new budding crop of forwards the Canucks just selected heavily outweigh the bad and the ugly. What do you think Canucks fans? Are you happy with this draft? Let me know in the comments section below!