Happy Draft Day(s), y'all!

The biggest event is, obviously, the draft itself and what the Vancouver Canucks will do with the third overall pick. The reason why teams want to draft as high as possible is for the options, and the Canucks have plenty.

But there's more going on than that, isn't there?

Everyone involved has finally accepted that the team is undergoing a rebuild, and they aren't hedging. The tricky part is believing management when they say so, given the past decade of desperate scrabbling for a playoff spot. There's plenty of evidence that ownership wants to cut costs, if not corners, and that raises alarms.

That being said, there is also plenty of evidence that management is unified in their determination to change. I thought Tyler Myers would never agree to leave, but off he went to Texas. Conor Garland heading out was less of a surprise, and both moves brought back draft picks rather than players. We like that.

Trades and Picks and All That

As of this minute, Vancouver has ten picks this year, three of which are in the sixth round. That's fine, the more darts the better after the second round. They also have $22 million in cap space with 21 players signed to NHL contracts. There is zero pressure to sign anyone, improve the team for next season, or find any kind of quick fix. This is about as good a starting point as they could hope for.

About Trades

Trades are fun! Everyone (except the players, usually) loves trades! But player trades might not happen before the draft starts tonight, and that's okay. It would be nice to see the team set up for the next few years in one weekend, but it's not essential. There's another draft next year, and getting picks for then is fine, too. We're looking at a long-term plan here, right? No need to force a trade just because one's available quickly.

The free agent pool is sparse. There are going to be opportunities for trades after July 1st and well before the season starts. Yes, they have to stay above the salary floor, and they're only about $5 million clear. They can overpay for a couple free agents, but you don't want to bring in players who might block the opportunity of the players you want to develop. And the players demanding the highest pay aren't likely to sign here.

We've talked about it plenty, but the team should be ready to move anyone. Literally any of their veterans should be available at the right price, and I do think they are. But selling all of them immediately is the wrong move. You do want someone who's been here to be, in effect, a guide to the city and the team. Player churn only works when you're moving secondary players around a successful core, and we don't have that yet.

Expect two of the bigger names to get moved this Summer, before the draft or after. More than that is pretty unlikely.

About Picks

I know what I like here, and I like a pile of the defencemen. Assuming Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg go, then I have four defencemen ahead of any of the other forwards. Any of a half dozen players is fine at number three, though. We don't know how their careers will turn out, and the differences between them look really minute as far as skills go, but the styles are all over the map. No telling what teams' preferences will be until they draft!

Why do I like the defencemen? I think the upper result for, say, Caleb Malhotra or Viggo Björk is a very good second-line centre, where the defencemen I like are top-pair, if not #1s. Both are in demand, but of those two, I know which are harder to find. Plus, 2027 looks pretty stacked for centre options.

If the Canucks want to trade down, I'm more than happy for them to. Acquire more darts, even if you're taking a step back. The next few seasons are when they want the picks, so go get them.

It would be nice if they added some local colour in Mathis Preston or Ryan Lin or the Ruck twins, they shouldn't stretch for them. I'll be disappointed of they lose assets for the sake of getting the Rucks in the first round, for instance.

About a Team

There's some fun in watching the breakdown of a team, like watching construction workers dismantle a house. A bit sad, but the foundation was rotting so it has to go. Hopefully, a much more stable one is getting built in its place.

Unlike houses, a hockey team can be built and torn down at the same time. We've seen some of the structure already, with Liam Öhgren, Zeen Buium, and Marco Rossi coming in from the Minnesota Wild trade. Next, we're getting a hit at the foundation.

Mostly what we all want to see is a design. Trades or no trades, that's going to start with the third overall pick today.