Photo credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
Gavin McKenna is the dream, and Adam Foote knows the Vancouver Canucks still control this draft even if they lose the lottery.
That’s the real story here.
For a team sitting last at 20-37-8, this isn’t only about landing first overall. It’s about what comes next if the ping-pong balls don’t bounce Vancouver’s way.
The Canucks carry a 25.1 percent chance at No. 1 and a 43.7 percent shot at a top-two pick.
Even in the worst-case lottery outcome, they can’t slide lower than third.
That matters because Vancouver hasn’t had this kind of draft position in decades.
The franchise has never picked first overall, and that history still hangs over every late-season loss and every scoreboard watch.
McKenna is the headline name for a reason. He’s the player who changes the temperature around a rebuild the second he walks into the room.
But this isn’t a one-player draft conversation for Vancouver. If the Canucks miss on McKenna, the front office still walks into June with a top-three selection and real leverage.
The Canucks still hold the cards
That opens the door to two paths.
They can stay put and add a premium piece like Ivar Stenberg or Keaton Verhoeff, or they can use that pick as a pressure point in a bigger hockey trade.
For a club with a -72 goal differential, this rebuild needs impact more than sentiment. Vancouver can’t afford to treat this as a consolation prize if first overall slips away.
A top-three pick still gives Patrik Allvin a serious chip. That’s where draft capital stops being hope and starts becoming a tool.
The date to watch is May 5. If Vancouver wins, the story is McKenna. If Vancouver loses, the story shifts fast to whether the Canucks draft for upside or move the asset.
Either way, this is bigger than lottery luck. The Canucks finally have a rare opening to change the direction of the franchise, and losing the draw wouldn’t erase that.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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Why the Vancouver Canucks still win the draft even if they miss on Gavin McKenna
Should the Vancouver Canucks keep a top-three pick even if they miss Gavin McKenna ?