Value of: The Daft Draft Moves of the Canucks: 2021-2025

[Izzy Goodenough]

This is a summary of the core pieces of the roster at the time Rutherford and Allvin took over the team compared to the current roster:

Category	December 2021	May 2025
Core Forwards	Pettersson, Miller, Horvat	Pettersson, Debrusk, Boeser (UFA),
Core Defensemen	Hughes, Ekman-Larsson, Myers	Hughes, Hronek, M Pettersson
Starting Goalie	Thatcher Demko	Demko/ Lankinen
Head Coach	Bruce Boudreau	Rick Tocchet (departed)
Team Captain	Bo Horvat	Quinn Hughes

These are their draft picks they traded to create the current Canucks roster:

Player / Pick	Drafted By	Position / Round	NHL Role / Potential	Trade Return
Vasily Podkolzin	2019 (1st)	RW	Top-9 potential	2025 4th-round pick (EDM)
Will Lockwood	2016 (3rd)	RW	Bottom-6 energy	Vitali Kravtsov (NYR)
Wyatt Kalynuk	2017 (7th)	LD	AHL depth	Future considerations (NYR)
Hunter Brzustewicz	2023 (3rd)	RD	High-end puck mover	Elias Lindholm trade (to CGY)
Joni Jurmo	2020 (3rd)	LD	Raw, athletic defender	Bo Horvat trade (to NYI)
Melvin Fernström	2023 (6th)	LW	Euro development project	Part of J.T. Miller deal (to PIT)
2023 1st-round pick	N/A	1st Round	Premium draft capital	Filip Hronek trade (to DET)
2023 2nd-round pick	N/A	2nd Round	Top-60 prospect	Filip Hronek trade (to DET)
2023 5th-round pick	N/A	5th Round	Mid-depth pick	Ethan Bear, Lane Pederson (to CAR)
2024 1st-round pick	N/A	1st Round	Top-32 draft capital	Elias Lindholm trade (to CGY)
2024 4th-round pick	N/A	4th Round	Depth prospect	Elias Lindholm trade (to CGY)
2024 5th-round pick	N/A	5th Round	Depth prospect	Sam Lafferty trade (to TOR)
2025 1st-round pick	N/A	1st Round (cond., PIT)	High pick (top-13 prot.)	Part of J.T. Miller trade (to PIT)
2025 3rd-round pick	N/A	3rd Round	Mid-draft capital	Casey DeSmith trade (to MTL)
2025 4th-round pick	N/A	4th Round	Depth pick	Erik Brännström trade (to COL)
2026 3rd-round pick	N/A	3rd Round	Depth pick	Nikita Zadorov trade (to CGY)
2026 7th-round pick	N/A	7th Round	Late-round pick	Vitali Kravtsov trade (to NYR)
2027 2nd-round pick	N/A	2nd Round	Valuable future capital	Ilya Mikheyev & Lafferty dump (to CHI)

If you owned this team (which, you don’t), would you have confidence in giving the current management the chance to fix the roster they created?

 

[Silky mitts]

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

Circle of Mediocrity on an Endless Rebuilding Loop.

 

[Diablo2020]

We could be just coming out of a rebuild if we started day one. Instead it took 3 years to swap Horvat for Hronek, let Brock walk for free, let Demko break down, and turn Miller into an OEL replacement which now accounts for over 10m when you add up buyout and Mpetey contract.

They're gonna build a forward group around Ep40 by default and probably use the young defenseman and picks to do so.

Masterclass truly.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

It's about to get worse not better

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

Yup it is likely happening again, bleeding more assets 24/7:

 

[BleedBlue14]

They're doing what competitive teams do.

The issue is Miller had to be traded, which shouldn't be too big of a surprise given it's happened before.

Hard to really hold against them Pettersson being an ok 2nd liner this year after a 100 pt season, Demko injury issues.

You aren't outlining the good that they've also done with Joshua (who also had an odd injury issue), Keifer Sherwood. The draft picks that did work out. And truthfully what they sent out doesn't really look like that big of a deal. You've definitely painted the pieces in the charts in a brighter light than deserved.

The Horvat debacle and moving him is probably the worst thing they've done, but they needed a change then.

Things probably aren't going to get better now though, especially if they don't just sign Willander.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

This management group has plunged their franchise into total disarray by bleeding assets and there is no end in sight.

Buckle up.

 

[wetcoast]

It's about to get worse not better

You are probably right although the dreamer in me hopes not.

 

[wetcoast]

They're doing what competitive teams do.

The issue is Miller had to be traded, which shouldn't be too big of a surprise given it's happened before.

Hard to really hold against them Pettersson being an ok 2nd liner this year after a 100 pt season, Demko injury issues.

You aren't outlining the good that they've also done with Joshua (who also had an odd injury issue), Keifer Sherwood. The draft picks that did work out. And truthfully what they sent out doesn't really look like that big of a deal. You've definitely painted the pieces in the charts in a brighter light than deserved.

The Horvat debacle and moving him is probably the worst thing they've done, but they needed a change then.

Things probably aren't going to get better now though, especially if they don't just sign Willander.

Your first sentence is the problem as the Canucks are completive for making the playoffs and they really aren't a serious SC contender and aren't built for a deep run either.

Their strategy is just make it in them hope, meanwhile their draft capital and prospect pool isn't that great and they are stuck in the middle.

They need to find a real direction and focus and stop hoping but ownership doesn't have the patience to do that which compounds the issue.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Your first sentence is the problem as the Canucks are completive for making the playoffs and they really aren't a serious SC contender and aren't built for a deep run either.

Their strategy is just make it in them hope, meanwhile their draft capital and prospect pool isn't that great and they are stuck in the middle.

They need to find a real direction and focus and stop hoping but ownership doesn't have the patience to do that which compounds the issue.

This is a great idea, the full teardown and build a perennial contender. But not many teams and fanbases can afford to sit through a likely 10 year process before things start to go right. You have to really hit on 5 players in a 2-3 year span to come out good on the backend of that. It’s just as likely to fail as it is succeed, and that’s not a good way to run a business when you have as much as owners do invested in the business.

Bigger markets that have a reason for a draw - your o6 teams, your no state income tax teams, your coastal teams can afford to do it because they’ll be able to draw players for factors other than money/competitiveness. But look at Buffalo, look at Utah, look at a lot of these teams that went through a process like that, Colorado following the Roy era, etc. it’s a long gloomy path and you’re operating at a deficit most of the time. Sure each individual team has pieces that are exciting, but winning teams that are continually competitive are usually where the bigger UFAs go and where players with clauses will waive to.

 

[wetcoast]

This is a great idea, the full teardown and build a perennial contender. But not many teams and fanbases can afford to sit through a likely 10 year process before things start to go right. You have to really hit on 5 players in a 2-3 year span to come out good on the backend of that. It’s just as likely to fail as it is succeed, and that’s not a good way to run a business when you have as much as owners do invested in the business.

Bigger markets that have a reason for a draw - your o6 teams, your no state income tax teams, your coastal teams can afford to do it because they’ll be able to draw players for factors other than money/competitiveness. But look at Buffalo, look at Utah, look at a lot of these teams that went through a process like that, Colorado following the Roy era, etc. it’s a long gloomy path and you’re operating at a deficit most of the time. Sure each individual team has pieces that are exciting, but winning teams that are continually competitive are usually where the bigger UFAs go and where players with clauses will waive to.

I'm not advocating for a full rebuild and teardown but at some point one needs to be realistic and the Canucks totality of NHLers, prospects and draft capital means failure.

They can scrape along into the playoffs but they can't seriously contend.and that's even if everything goes right.

Map out a team identify hang onto strong players and accumulate and develop higher draft picks is a proven formula.

As a lifelong Canucks fans I can tell you that the present course means failure anyone saying otherwise is playing the hope game.

 

[Izzy Goodenough]

Emotionally, Canucks fans have been held hostage by a series of incompetent regimes, all under an owner who, while clearly committed, still seems to think Slap Shot was a documentary, not a work of fiction.


Meanwhile, over the past three years, the current management group has already traded away:
4 first-round picks, 2 seconds, 5 thirds, 2 fourths, 2 fifths, 1 sixth, 2 sevenths... retaining only two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.


Brace yourselves cause Rutherford is already foreshadowing more gloom for the fanbase.