VANCOUVER – So, what do you give the team that has everything…except the Stanley Cup? Well, come draft day you give the team some draft picks and hope for the best, the same as you do with any team that is one win from winning the cup or is the worst team in the league. The pain of losing the cup is still in the air in Vancouver, but starting Friday night next season officially begins for all 30 teams in the league. Hope once again springs eternal.
The Canucks were the league’s best team during the regular season but the second best team in the playoffs. During the season Vancouver led the league in four categories: Offense, defense, power play, and face-offs. The penalty killing unit was third overall. You cannot ask much more from the Canucks that what was already given. Still, some pieces are missing on the team that has virtually everything. Most of those issues will be addressed come free agency. The draft, however, is about the future not the present. Let’s take a look at what the Canucks could and should do come draft day.
The Canucks were great offensively getting most of its production from centers and left wingers. The only major issue was that only three players had over 20 goals this season. The team needs to get more production from the right wing position that saw only Mikael Samuelson score over 10 goals (18). The team’s top two prospects are centers as well. Four other wingers rank fourth and 8-10th.
On defense, the Canucks did not have single defensemen as a negative in the plus/minus category. That’s impressive. Still, Vancouver lacks a stud blue chip point man waiting in the wings. This is important because Vancouver has four defensemen who are UFA’s and one who is an RFA.
In net, we all know the Roberto Luongo story by now, but Cory Schneider is a UFA after next season. The Canucks can use him as trade bait to bring in some help on defense should some of the UFA’s walk this summer. With the Philadelphia Flyers seemingly out of the running that leaves the rest of the league to deal with. Vancouver does not have a blue chip goalie in their system but Eddie Lack is ranked fifth by The Hockey News. Addressing this situation long term is mandatory for the Canucks this off-season.
In our mock draft, Vancouver has options if they want to fill their needs at RW, D, and goaltender. At right wing, Rickard Rakell, Seth Ambroz, and Stefan Noeson are still on the board. One defense, Scott Mayfield and Joel Edmundson haven’t had their names called and none of the goaltenders have been taken so far. That means John and Christopher Gibson (no relation) are available for the Canucks at 29.
A winger might be tempting to take, and as they say the draft is about the best player available but in this case an RW isn’t. Mayfield and Edmundson have the ability but not this time around when the Canucks pick in our opinion. The means that the Canucks just might shock the world with the following announcement come draft day.
“The Vancouver Canucks select, from the USA Under-18 program, goaltender John Gibson.”
To learn more about John Gibson click here .
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
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