Breaking down the Canucks’ options at the 2026 NHL Draft

May 8, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: May 7, 2026, 14:26 EDT

Credit: Caleb Malhotra (Brandon Taylor/OHL Images)

Give your closest Vancouver Canucks fan a hug today. It’s been a tough week.

The Canucks finished dead last in the NHL this season, giving them the best odds of landing the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. But the lottery balls didn’t fall their way, with the Toronto Maple Leafs landing the first pick, while the San Jose Sharks moved up seven spots to select second.

All the pain, all the losing, all the drama. Just to miss out on Gavin McKenna.

But picking third is much, much better than missing the playoffs by a point and selecting, say, 16th. The draft might not be super deep, but the top 10 is still quite solid. Regardless of who they take, Vancouver is set to select the best prospect the team currently has. And given it’s the start of the team’s rebuild window, that’s vital.

Vancouver’s pipeline flat-out stinks right now. It’s going to take years to get it up to full speed. Fortunately, the club has two first-round picks and another pair in the second at their disposal. But how should the club – with no active GM – handle this? Let’s take a look at every realistic scenario:

Draft for need, or best player available?

Assuming McKenna goes first overall to the Leafs, the Sharks will have to choose either the other best forward available, Ivar Stenberg, or a defenseman. Needs-wise, the Sharks need a blueliner more than anything. Sam Dickinson and Eric Pohlkamp are strong options, but they’re not too deep beyond that.

So there’s a real possibility the Canucks could have to choose between Stenberg – a skilled, do-it-all winger – or Malhotra, the Brantford Bulldogs powerhouse forward. Stenberg is ranked higher by more scouts – some think he’s legitimately the best prospect available this year. Stenberg had 11 goals and 33 points in the top Swedish pro league this year. For reference, only two players have outproduced him in their draft year – the Sedin twins. That worked out mighty fine for the Canucks, didn’t it?

If you’re looking for someone who excels in more facets of the game, Stenberg is the best choice in this draft class. We know the offense is there. Defensively, Stenberg is reliable, too. He’s better with the puck than without it, but he understands when he needs to add extra focus on his own zone, giving him a strong “B” game to go alongside his high-flying offensive skillset.

Stenberg would be the near-consensus best player available option if a defenseman goes No. 2. But what about the player that fits Vancouver’s needs the most? That’s where Malhotra comes in.

Malhotra’s incredible OHL playoff run has been the talk of the scouting community recently. He was a huge part of Brantford’s success this year, which included 13 goals and 26 points in just 15 playoff games. Malhotra’s steady, smart play has helped him emerge as the No. 1 center for this draft. Malhotra battles hard at both ends, giving opponents little time to make quick, heads-up decisions with the puck.

Teams love players with NHL bloodlines (Stenberg is the younger brother of St. Louis Blues forward Otto Stenberg). And like his father, Manny, Caleb rarely cheats for offense and is so reliable defensively. He understands defensive rotations, supports his defensemen deep in his own zone, and consistently puts himself in the right position to disrupt passing lanes. He plays a mature, low-risk game that translates very easily to the pro level.

Malhotra’s floor is high. Many see him as a second-line center at the very least. But will he have the natural play-driving ability to excel offensively in the NHL? Does he have first-line potential? That’s what scouts want to figure out.

It’s rare to see a guy put up modest numbers in the BCHL and then explode offensively in their draft year at a higher level and thrust themselves up draft boards like Maholtra did. Does that sudden explosion give scouts pause? Some are concerned that the glow-up isn’t sustainable. Others believe in his progression fully, given that he was often the best player on one of the top CHL teams on a nightly basis. That’s not easy for a draft-eligible prospect.

Stenberg is the one that scouts deem to have the higher ceiling – but is he the right choice for Vancouver over the top center in the draft?

Take a defenseman?

With Zeev Buium and Elias Pettersson becoming full-time defenders, that leaves Tom Willander as the best defender in the system. Beyond that, Kirill Kudryavtsev is a solid depth guy, while Sawyer Mynio could get into NHL action in the long-term future.

But landing Chase Reid, Carson Carels or Keaton Verhoeff would give the blueline the long-term boost they need. The 2026 NHL Draft is very heavy down the middle, and if this is going to be a long-term rebuild for the Canucks, they might elect to snag a quality defender now and draft a center next year instead.

Reid is an excellent skater, has a solid 6-foot-2 frame and is always involved at both ends of the ice. His confidence is incredible, too. You can argue that the OHL isn’t as strong as it once was because the older competition jumped to the NCAA early, but Reid looked so confident at the World Juniors, too. He’s truly a fascinating defender who doesn’t lose many battles, and his size, shot and mobility are all elements of his game that should allow him to transition quite nicely to the NHL.

Carels was an absolute workhorse this year. He was not only one of the best young defenders in the WHL but also one of the best blueliners in the entire CHL. Carels is built strong, but still needs to work on getting tougher, overall. Beyond that, his D-zone coverage is solid, and he’s great with the puck. I’d bank on him being totally fine.

And then there’s Verhoeff, who jumped to the NCAA at 17. He had growing pains, for sure. But as a 6-foot-4 defender with solid mobility and two-way play, Verhoeff has a lot of runway. I like that he’s willing to take risks with the puck, even if they don’t always pay off. He’s adaptable, and I know NHL teams like the potential for him to be a solid top-four blueliner.

Next year’s defensive crop will have Landon DuPont, the projected No. 1 pick. The Canucks will definitely be in the conversation to snag him, but we know finishing last doesn’t guarantee anything, anyway. Maybe the Canucks elect to take a blueliner instead to try and get ahead of that whole in the pipeline.

Trade pick(s) to move up?

Vancouver also owns Minnesota’s first-rounder, which will land somewhere in the 20-24 range. That, mixed in with Vancouver’s second-round pick, gives them plenty of capital to push forward in the draft. Moving up a spot doesn’t make a lot of sense (top five picks are rarely moved, really), but using their two later picks to move up to, say, the 10-15 area could be beneficial. Maybe the Canucks view Tynan Lawrence as their guy, but don’t want to use their first pick on it. Could you imagine them getting Stenberg and Lawrence – two guys who were gunning for first overall around Christmas?

With four picks in the first two rounds, that gives the Canucks some serious flexibility. Would they prefer quantity or quality? Given the team’s lackluster pipeline, using all four picks isn’t a bad call. But if the scouting department believes in someone in particular, just get them. Vancouver has six picks in the first two rounds of the 2027 and 2028 drafts combined, and will likely continue to accumulate more as the rebuild continues. Get the guys you see the most value in.

Moving up to No. 2 likely isn’t worth it. That’s going to eat up other assets, and moving up doesn’t guarantee you’re getting a significantly better prospect. This isn’t a world where one or two guys are miles ahead of the rest – if you asked all 32 scouting departments, you’d probably get 3-4 different names at No. 1. Vancouver will be happy with whomever they take.

But with their other picks? That’s where things could get interesting.

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