The Vancouver Canucks could move up in the 2023 NHL Draft

With reports flowing that the general manager Patrik Allvin and the Vancouver Canucks are interested in moving up at the 2023 NHL Draft next week, Daily Faceoff President Frank Seravalli and former NHL goaltender Mike McKenna weigh in on the reports and what it would entail for the Canucks to move up. 

Frank Seravalli: Let’s go to the lower mainland where Patrik Allvin held his pre-draft press conference, which is next Wednesday. Among the many things he told reporters, what caught my eye was that the Canucks, who are picking at No. 11, have also now said publicly that they’d like to try and find a way to move up. My question to you is, looking at the top-10, which none of those picks have changed, where are they going to do it and how? 

Mike McKenna: I’m wondering the same thing; you look at the teams that are in the mix there, and Chicago isn’t going to leave Bedard at first overall, but even down the depth chart here with Columbus, LA, Montreal and Arizona all need these players, so does Philadelphia. The only one that even enters my mind that might be entertained is the St. Louis Blues and potentially Detroit if you’re looking to swap, but you’re only gaining two or three spots.

But in this draft, though, there seems to be a consensus that the top 10 is a bit different from the 11-20 picks. You get into that 5-10 spot and maybe get a Zach Benson who’s undersized but was second in WHL scoring behind Bedard, or maybe you go after David Reinbacher or Matvei Michkov falls into your lap. I just can’t help but wonder how the Canucks plan on doing this; they don’t have the extra pick, and they have extras in the third and fourth rounds, but that’s not going to help them. Could this possibly be a smoke screen for something, or just wishful thinking on the Canucks part? 

Frank Seravalli: I definitely think they’re trying. What I would say is I think the Canucks are doing multiple things at once, if that makes any sense. They’re trying to get better, younger, shed some salary, try and spend money; they’re trying to do all of these things at once. It kind of feels like Allvin and his team are drinking through a fire hose, trying to do all of this. Sometimes when you do all of that or attempt to, you end up nowhere. You try to do so much that you end up doing nothing.

Mike McKenna: It does not seem focused at all. Listen, Jim Rutherford has always been a horse trader, he’s willing to make moves, but it’s been stagnated, and if they’re really going to move up, they will have to part ways with a prospect, Hoglander, Podkolzin, Raty. You’re going to have to lose a top prospect and a pick like I just don’t know. I think they need to focus on what their intention is here.

You can watch the full episode here…