As it stands right now, the Vancouver Canucks hold the 15th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a lot can happen between now and then.
Obviously, much of the talk surrounding the Canucks is about the future of head coach Rick Tocchet, who will need a new contract this summer in order to stay aboard. If not, there are a number of head coaching vacancies around the NHL worth considering, including those of the Flyers, Rangers, and Ducks, in particular.
Canucks president Jim Rutherford admitted that the team might not get back a top-six center via trade during the height of the J.T. Miller saga, and after Filip Chytil's latest concussion, the organization's center depth is truly in peril.
They have Chytil, an inconsistent Elias Pettersson still learning how to be a pro, and a whole lot of nothing else. Maybe youngster Aatu Raty becomes a guy for the Canucks, but he needs to actually play and get on the ice for that to happen.
So, with the 15th pick in the 2025 draft, the Canucks can either pivot to the trade market for a center, or they can draft one and wait upwards of two years, given this year's weaker draft class.
With the Canucks already at risk of losing captain Quinn Hughes to free agency in 2027, Vancouver may want to focus a bit more on getting younger. It's becoming clearer and clearer that this group is not going to have the chops to push for a Stanley Cup by any measure before the 2027 offseason.
With the 15th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks select...
Cole Reschny, C, Victoria Royals (WHL)
Victoria Royals center Cole Reschny is currently ranked 29th by TSN NHL insider Bob McKenzie and 22nd overall by EliteProspects' consolidated rankings, but there is good reason to believe the 18-year-old is flying up draft boards as we speak.
The 5-foot-10 playmaker just completed his second WHL season, scoring 26 goals, 66 assists, and 92 points in 62 games, which is second in the league amongst draft-eligible skaters.
Calgary Hitmen winger Benjamin Kindel and his 99 points could be an option for the Canucks as the WHL's leading draft-eligible scorer, but the Canucks have a respectable pool of prospect wingers for the time being.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Danila Klimovich, Linus Karlsson, Anthony Romani, Vilmer Alriksson, and Josh Bloom all have different ceilings and are projected to fill in different roles, but the Canucks truly have nothing at center outside of Raty and maybe Ty Mueller.
Vancouver's prospect pool in general is bare, and by grabbing Reschny, they acquire a versatile player with a very high floor capable of contributing in the near future. If the Canucks have any aspirations of quickly turning around and competing, Reschny is a guy who can potentially slot into the middle-six straight away.
In a draft class devoid of alternative reliable options, the Canucks are best off shooting for need instead of value. If they can't compete soon, they'll have to strip this operation down to the studs anyway.
Reschny may remind some of Dawson Mercer: a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type who plays with solid fundamentals and can occasionally show off some fun offensive tools. Mercer has settled in as a wing at the NHL level, but New Jersey is currently relying on him to play center full-time in the wake of Jack Hughes's season-ending injury.
Reschny will be representing Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championships in Frisco, Texas, which started on Wednesday and will conclude on May 3.