Are you sad? Bet you’re sad. After finishing second last in the League, the Canucks had a decent opportunity to land a top-three pick.
But that ain’t how this franchise works folks!
Truthfully, this was empirically the worst. season. ever. to go for a bottom place finish. The new draft lottery rules have kicked in, meaning that even a terrible team like Colorado had just an 18% chance of winning the number one pick.
In addition, the Vegas Golden Knights were guaranteed a spot at third last, further diluting the percentages.
So Vancouver’s balls underperformed again. The New Jersey Devils landed the first overall pick, and the Canucks slid to fifth. Sigh.
But if you’re worried about reading yet more critical coverage, don’t fret! Here are some insanely (emphasis insane) positive takeaways from Vancouver completely whiffing on the draft lottery!
(If you imagine me with a disturbingly positive grimace on my face, you imagine correctly.)
The pressure is off!
Yep, selecting first in a weak draft is just asking for trouble. While you might land a Sedin-like gem, you’re just as likely to snag a Patrik Stefan. By selecting first, Vancouver can easily dodge criticism if either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier don’t pan out.
Furthermore, if whichever pick they select (hopefully a centre) becomes an impact NHLer, Vancouver fans have something to crow about! And apart from Canuck, it’s been a crow-free zone around these parts for too long.
Everything after two is a crapshoot
This could be taken either way, but I see it as a positive. After Nico Hischier, the consensus pick becomes a lot murkier. As I see it the difference between three and five doesn’t matter much.
As Daniel pointed out, there are a handful of centres who look like pretty reasonable picks, including Gabriel Vilardi, Casey Mittelstadt, and Cody Glass. Many have Vilardi third, but I believe they’re all too close to call.
Could they make a huge mistake and tab a reach pick, like Michael Rasmussen, instead? Yes, yes they could. I’d like to say they’ve learned their lesson, but I see no evidence of that.
Could they take a defenceman instead of a forward? Yes, but most lists don’t have one in the top five.
Nothing is guaranteed, especially once you get to pick five, but if they were to pick up any of the three players mentioned I’d be rather satisfied.
What me tank?
This lottery showcased exactly what the NHL wanted: a far more randomized draft. The Flyers finished 19th in the league last season, not far outside of a playoff spot, and yet they will still walk away with either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier.
The Dallas Stars, who finished ten points ahead of Vancouver at 24th, will take the third pick.
The chances of a bottom-three team scoring a top-three pick are pretty miserable, actually. So I see less need for the team and its fans to focus on tanking.
Some might not mind the bitter aftertaste of cheering for your team to lose, but I’m not terribly fond of it. I don’t think Vancouver is a playoff team next year, but at least fans can hope and cheer for wins and still keep those draft hopes alive.
On the tank: this is probably grist for another article, but I wonder how this new format will affect perennial basement-dwellers. We’ve all seen how a first-overall selection in a strong draft can turn a franchise around (You haven’t? They’re playing the Ducks right now.) I can’t help but ponder if this new system won’t consign terrible teams to a form of talentless limbo.
Anyway, there you go! Was that positive enough for you? I hope so… that took great effort. Now let’s all watch Connor McDavid play some brilliant semi-finals hockey and then laugh-cry ourselves to sleep.
