After finishing last in the NHL this season, Vancouver Canucks fans are desperate for hope.
Currently, that comes in the form of lottery balls. The NHL Draft Lottery takes place on Tuesday from the NHL Network studios in New Jersey. Vancouver has the highest odds to pick first overall at 25.5%.
Gavin McKenna of Penn State University is widely projected to go first overall. Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda HC is close behind him and projected to go second.
For Canucks fans, they are used to disappointment. This is a franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup or drafted the first overall pick. (In 1999, they did have the first overall pick, but then GM Brian Burke made a series of moves to draft Henrik and Daniel Sedin second and third overall.) The Canucks have had terrible luck in the draft lottery, often falling back at least one spot.
Canucks fans are hoping their luck changes this time. Still, expecting disappointment remains a familiar mindset.
Can luck finally change for the Canucks?
While McKenna isn’t as hyped up as Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini were, he is still highly regarded as a player who can be a franchise player.
The left winger from Whitehorse, Yukon, has been compared to the likes of Patrick Kane and Nikita Kucherov.
McKenna has impressed scouts with his creativity, playmaking, shot and hockey IQ.
“McKenna is excellent at settling bouncing pucks and can convert on snap-shots, curl-and-drags and one-timers all with regularity, often in motion,” said Luke Sweeney of Dobber Prospects. “McKenna also projects better defensively, with strong stick habits and the ability to manipulate puck carriers. Really, though, the biggest separator is McKenna’s approach with the puck. For better or worse, McKenna has a huge risk threshold and loves to hang onto the puck. His skill and creativity are perhaps unmatched (finishing multiple plays I’ve never seen someone even attempt before), but it also leads to him getting caught, sometimes in grimace-inducing ways.”
So what could this mean for the Canucks?
For starters, hope would be brought. If Vancouver wins the lottery and drafts McKenna, he would be the symbol of the rebuild and a future face of the franchise. McKenna would boost the Canucks prospect pool/young talent pool, which includes Braden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren.
While McKenna won’t transform the Canucks into contenders overnight, he will be the foundation to build around.
But don’t get your hopes up.
Of course, the high draft lottery odds do not guarantee anything. Knowing Canucks luck, they are likely to drop down to second or third.
To make things worse, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks or Florida Panthers could win the lottery. That would be a massive gut punch for Canucks fans and would be very typical of Vancouver sports.
But the second overall provides solid compensation. Stenberg is a highly skilled and quick winger with great hockey sense. He can also play both wings. Stenberg has been doing very well for Frolunda against men.
“Stenberg’s success comes from several elite traits; most impressive is his awareness and adaptability,” said Markus R of Dobber Prospects. “Always composed and in control, he can adjust to any scenario. Combine that with excellent skating, agility, stickhandling, body control, playmaking, and a reliable two-way game, and Stenberg often looks like a seasoned veteran competing against kids.”
Third overall is where things get interesting. Defencemen Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff have been projected to go third. Centre Caleb Malhotra has also had his stock rise as high as third.
These three aren’t on the same tier as McKenna and Stenberg and would need at least an extra year of development. But any of them would strengthen the Canucks prospect pool.
Can the Canucks have some luck for once?
Given the suffering Vancouver sports fans have endured, the Canucks deserve some luck. There hasn’t been a lot for Canucks fans to cheer about for years. Winning the number one overall pick would be a big reason to cheer.
But it feels like that won’t happen. At the same time, you can’t help but feel this time is different…right?
