The Canuck Way
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Is it okay for Canucks fans to cheer against them vs. the Wild?

By Alex Hoegler

SAINT PAUL, MN - JANUARY 12: Tyler Myers #57, Elias Pettersson #40, Quinn Hughes #43, Antoine Roussel #26 and J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrate a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on January 12, 2020 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAINT PAUL, MN - JANUARY 12: Tyler Myers #57, Elias Pettersson #40, Quinn Hughes #43, Antoine Roussel #26 and J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrate a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the game at the Xcel Energy Center on January 12, 2020 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Some Vancouver Canucks fans want the shot at Alexis Lafrenière. But is it fair to prioritize draft lottery odds over a playoff series victory?

Under the NHL’s return to play and 2020 draft lottery formats, the Vancouver Canucks have a shot at winning the Stanley Cup and the first overall pick — two things they’ve never accomplished in their history.

The first overall pick in the 2020 draft was won by a “mystery” team. The eight teams who are eliminated from the best-of-five “play in” round will each receive a 12.5 percent chance at winning the top pick, which will be Rimouski Océanic superstar Alexis Lafrenière.

If the NHL returns to play, Vancouver will go up against the Minnesota Wild in the qualifying round. On Friday — the day of the draft lottery — you only needed a short scroll through Twitter to see that a large number of Canuck fans expressed more interest in winning the lottery rather than beat the Wild.

A fan on Twitch (h/t Rob Williams of Daily Hive), asked Canucks centre Adam Gaudette about his take on those who are rooting against their own team for a shot at Lafrenière. Gaudette said “they’re not real fans.” Fair point.

From 2016 to 2019, it was easy for Vancouver fans to cheer for Team Tank. They were well out of the playoff race by the final weeks of the season, and it many fans prioritized a better chance at winning the draft lottery instead of cheering for meaningless victories late in the season.

But is it fair for Canucks fans to cheer for Minnesota if it means a 12.5 percent chance at landing Lafrenière?

The answer is yes and no. Anything can happen in the postseason, but the Canucks don’t have that much depth or experience, so it’s hard to envision them going on a cup run. For the fans who think this team has little chance to get past the first round of the playoffs, it’s fair that they’d prefer the draft lottery tickets.

But at the same time, the point of the regular season is to get to the playoffs. Canucks fans haven’t seen postseason play in five years. And now you’re going to cheer against them when they have the chance to vie for the Stanley Cup again?

Even if the Canucks were to lose to the Wild, they’d only have a 12.5 percent chance at landing Lafrenière. And it’s not like this current core — led by Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes — won’t compete in the future if they don’t get Lafrenière.

There’s no easy answer on this. But for Vancouver fans who are struggling between which side to root for, here is my advice: Just cheer for your team to beat the Wild and hold out hope for a deep playoff run.

Next. Canucks: What Alexis Lafrenière could mean. dark

And if they lose to the Wild? Well, the 12.5 percent chance of getting Lafrenière should be a nice consolation prize for Canucks fans.

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