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Vancouver Canucks position any pick as a good pick as Draft Lottery looms |
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We're one day away from the draft lottery that will determine where in the top five the Vancouver Canucks will choose on June 23 in Chicago.
The viewing party at The Sportsbar at Rogers Arena will get underway at 4 p.m. That's sold out. The TV broadcast will pick up on Hockey Central at 4:30 p.m. on Sportsnet and CBC, then the lottery itself is expected to be conducted at 5 p.m., before Game 2 of the Pittsburgh/Washington series gets underway.
Did you catch Nick Bonino's game-winning goal for Pittsburgh in Game 1?
Bonino's building a serious reputation for clutch playoff play—and he's an unrestricted free agent this summer. Should set him up for a nice raise from his current $1.9 million cap hit.
But I digress...
After the disappointment of dropping to fifth spot in the 2016 lottery despite having the NHL's third-worst record, the Canucks organization seems to have come to terms with the fact that anything can happen this Saturday—and that even Vancouver's second-best odds of securing the No. 1 pick still means it's more-than-likely that they'll be choosing elsewhere.
Once again, here's a look at the odds for all the lottery teams:
The way I look at it, Vancouver has roughly a one-third chance of picking somewhere in the top three, a one-third chance of picking fourth and a one-third chance of picking fifth.
Here's how the braintrust is thinking, going into Saturday's big event.
Benning says he thinks the top two players in this draft, Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, have the potential to follow in the footsteps of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel from 2015, or Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine from last season—able to step in and contribute right away at the NHL level.
Beyond Patrick and Hischier, Benning talks about playmaking centres or power-play defensemen and calls the next group "good choices."
Breaking down the top two, Benning praises Patrick's size, skill and hockey sense—says there's no real weakness in his game. He says Hischier's best quality is his speed and says he's "built for today's game."
From three through five, Benning says he expects that different teams will have different players slotted into their various rankings. He doesn't elaborate further on who the Canucks would be targeting, just says they're "excited" about what's available.
I'll take a closer look at the players in the mix starting next week, once we know where the Canucks are picking.
One rookie who's already making the rounds is coach Travis Green.
For me, the most interesting part of this video is his interaction with the Canucks players in the weight room before his introductory press conference.
Here's our first look at Brendan Gaunce—already back working out though his arm is in a sling after last week's shoulder surgery.
Erik Gudbranson is still in town, presumably still rehabbing his wrist, and Brandon Sutter is also working out. He looks like he has a pretty significant brace on his wrist.
Finally, let's take a quick look at the Canucks prospects who are still alive in the QMJHL playoffs.
After starting off their series against Blainville-Boisbriand with a 3-0 win, the Charlottetown Islanders have now lost three straight games in their semifinal series. They'll face elimination as they return to Charlottetown on Saturday for Game 5.
Canucks prospect Carl Neill remains Charlottetown's top-scoring defenseman with 2-7-9 in 12 games. He has a goal and two assists in the series so far, while Guillaume Brisebois is pointless in the series so far and sits at 0-4-4 in the playoffs.
Undrafted, undersized Alex Barre-Boulet has six points in four games for Blainville-Boisbriand. Listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, Barre-Boulet now leads the Q's playoff scoring race with 27 points, giving him a six-point lead over his teammate Pierre-Luc Dubois in second place.
In the other semifinal, Saint John and Chicoutimi are tied 2-2, with Game 5 going later today in Saint John.
Canucks prospect Dmitry Zhukenov has four assists in the series so far for Chicoutimi, which leaves him tied for third in the playoff scoring race with 20 points.
Rodrigo Abols' Acadie-Bathurst Titans were eliminated in the Q's quarterfinals, but he'll see more hockey action this spring.
Abols also played for Team Latvia at last year's World Championship, where he recorded one assist in seven games.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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