The Vancouver Canucks selected Caleb Malhotra with the third overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but in the opinion of fans, they made a big mistake not taking Chase Reid.
There was a strong case for Vancouver to take Reid and pair him with Zeev Buium to form their blue line of the future and Reid was projected to be the third overall pick by The Athletic's Corey Pronman released on Friday morning. But if there’s any consolation, several other teams agreed as Reid fell to the Seattle Kraken with the seventh overall pick.
The Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers and Calgary Flames joined Vancouver on the decision to pass on Reid and it could either be a miss by several front offices or a savvy decision that could see Malhotra wind up becoming the better pick.
Canucks decision to pass on Chase Reid began a draft day slide
Like Malhotra, who will play college hockey at Boston University this winter, Reid wouldn’t have contributed right away due to his commitment to Michigan State. But he was a sure bet to make an impact whenever he hit the NHL after his success with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL.
Reid had an impressive rookie season with seven goals and 40 points during the 2024-25 campaign and was even better with 18 goals and 48 points in 45 games last year. He also added a pair of goals and four points during the World Junior Championships, helping him claim the No. 1 spot in Pronman’s prospect rankings for this year’s class.
But it appeared that the Canucks and several other teams didn’t agree. The Sabres passed on Reid for fellow defenseman Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick and the Rangers chose another blueliner in German defenseman Alberts Smits with the fifth overall pick. Carson Carels was the third straight defenseman off the board when Calgary was on the clock with the sixth overall pick and the Kraken stopped Reid’s slide with the seventh overall selection.
Taking Malhotra may have been controversial after his father, Manny Malhotra, was hired as head coach earlier this month. But the Canucks could defend it at the top player at a position that has become a premium this offseason.
Part of that evidence came when the St. Louis Blues traded the 15th and 29th overall pick to the Anaheim Ducks for center Mason McTavish and there could be more if Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers are traded in the coming weeks.
It’s also interesting that three defensemen went off the board before Reid was taken by Seattle, which could signal something that scouts saw that other evaluators did not during the pre-draft process.
In the end, it could take a year or two to find out whether the Canucks made the right decision. But even if they didn’t, several teams could have set themselves up for the same mistake, which could take some of the disappointment out of not landing Reid on Friday night.
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