Vancouver Canucks NHL Draft Recap 2026

1. Great stuff as always!

2. this is the perfect draft before the 2027 draft where they get their 1C. this is the depth behind that

3. After Stenberg is was a matter of taste in the 2nd tier. Anyone could have gone in any order from 3-9.

4. I see Caleb as a potential Moritz Seider. Everyone, including 90% of scouts I saw, said Yzerman was out of his mind "reaching" for Seider when he could have picked someone ranked much higher. Now that looks like a great pick. If you genuinely see Malhotra as a top 2 centre, picking him at 3 isn't a reach at all. And I have no problem picking by nationality. For years now, teams have been avoiding drafting top ranked Russian players because of the KHL factor and the fear that those guys won't come over. I have no problem with Canadian teams avoiding top ranked American players because you draft guys because they're part of your long term plans. If you're in Year 4 of a rebuild and about to come out of it and suddenly, your top American player gets trade protection and decides he wants out, you're screwed. The Sens made the younger Tkachuk their captain and after saying "all the right things," suddenly, he wanted to play with his brother in the US. Don't trust Americans. You have to protect yourself if you're a hockey team. Whatever you think of Brady, he's not easy to replace in Ottawa. That's why I didn't want Chase Reid. He'll say all the right things about how he loves Vancouver, then he'll sign a long term deal with a NMC and then he'll demand a trade to only one or two teams. Why would you risk that if you're a GM trying to build a winner? Canada hasn't won a Cup in over 20 years, so why would top Americans want to play here?

5. Feel like the Canucks put Caleb in a terrible position. This goes beyond nepotism and could be actively bad for his career

6. I'm a big fan of Connor Davis, really surprised me this year. His starting lineup for the Goldenrod Gym was outstanding. Bright future for that young man.

7. Ya I think it was fine. Also not exactly what i would have done but i am glad they are going for the big guys earlier in the rebuild as they always take a little longer.

   Also, i feel like 2027 through 2029 are going to be the truly important drafts for the Canucks

8. I was honestly livid when Canucks picked Malhotra. I feel like they could have gotten another great dman in their pipeline if they got carols or Reid. Malholtra reminds me of a mix of horvat, Jordan staal, and Trevor linden. I don’t think he will be more than a 65 point center at his best. Vancouver puts way to much emphasis on work ethic and character, especially at the top of the draft where they should be focusing on the best player available

9. Has a father ever coached their son in the NHL before?

10. It’s OK next year in 2027 we either get our number one defenseman or our number one center. This year was a year to draft the depth and complementary players for next year’s star.

11. Waiting for Calgary and my king GMCC
    Good video

12. Will would have picked Mathis Preston at 3 😂

13. Was cool to see you in Sekeres and Price. Hope you do another hit down the line.

14. Philly's willingness to give up 4 1st round draft picks and $18mil per season to get Carlsson is a good indicator of the value the league puts on quality centers.

    And besides, I think they drafted the best players despite him being the coaches son, not because he's was his son.

15. Canucks subreddit has gone the complete opposite direction on malhotra now, saying he will be the next Bergeron or toews …

16. Honestly. I was saying Reid or Bjorck all the way up to the Draft. But when it was actually time to draft – seeing Caleb there with his Dad, and Nash and family – it just would have been so incredibly awkward to have NOT drafted him there. Because – it’s not like they were San Jose and had another go at 9. And even if the projections are mixed – culture guys is at such a premium – and in Vancouver we’ve been saying for years they should be looking in their backyard for players – inject some hometown heroes into the lineup – so it was an easy choice once you looked at all the factors.

17. so how does ranking work is 1d better then 2b?

18. 3:20 The thing that Canucks Fans must remember with Scouch's drafting system, is that the one thing he does not have access to, that the scouting department does, is the interview. Its very hard for scouch to evaluate someones character just looking at tape.

    For example with Caleb Malholtra, when asked about what books he was reading, his answer was, "The bible."
    When his father was asked about him going third overall, and if he was proud of that, he responded:
    "Sure thats nice, but when I heard that with every interview that Caleb gave, he met them with respect, integrity, and good manners, that this is what made him to be proud to be Caleb's father." [ paraphrasing ]
    Characters like these, are going to add fibre to your organization, and will elevate the entire room. And for every interview that I saw with the drafting prospects, it was the character that stood out to me, with ceiling being the secondary consideration they went for.

19. I like Malhotra fine, but was hoping for Verhoff. 2027 looks loaded for centres.

20. I'm leery about Rogowski, but loved his answer when asked why he's going to the CHL instead of US college next year: ice time.

    He already has the size, so he isn't waiting to grow or lift weights. He wants top-line ice time to work on his skills, and 70+ games worth instead of 30-something..

21. Your analysis on these picks is way more realistic and respectable than watching Canucks homers hype up everything. I agree about Malhotra, there's a lot he needs to work on before we start assuming he's going to be a top 6 Centre.

22. Caleb & Cootes will start next season (not upcoming one), & Novotny 1st year ELC burned by end of nxt season

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