Canucks address skill and scoring
CHICAGO — Jim Benning had two players slotted in the first round who weren’t selected Friday.
That only added more intrigue and urgency to what the Vancouver Canucks general manager was hoping to accomplish Saturday. He had two second-round selections — No. 33 and the No. 55 compensatory pick for Columbus hiring John Tortorella — and hadn’t had a second-rounder since the latest goaltender of the future Thatcher Demko arrived in 2014.
The Canucks could have had three second-round picks had they showed Las Vegas their best poker face Friday. The Golden Knights, who picked sixth, wanted Portland Winterhawks centre Cody Glass and the Canucks had slick Swedish playmaking centre Elias Peterrsson at top of their wish list at No. 5.
Vegas dangled a second-round pick to move up one spot to get Glass because they owned three second-rounders, but backed off when the buzz was that the Canucks were going to take Pettersson. They could have got him sixth overall and had another second-rounder Saturday.
In a draft that lacked a generational player like centres Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid, the No. 33 selection was essentially a first-rounder and Benning was bent on taking a forward.
Selecting Kelowna Rockets centre/winger Kole Lind 33rd overall was no surprise because his 30-goal, 70-point production, versatility and ability to excel in a premier program sold the Canucks on the Shaunavon, Sask., native. And taking big Owen Sound Attack power winger Jonah Gadjovich addressed a need to add size and skill. His 46 goals and 74 points from left wing proved that he does more than just talk about playing a heavy two-way game and can get to the net. It was a priority.
“We addressed some skill and scoring, and we’re always looking to do it. It’s the hardest thing to do,” said Judd Brackett, the Canucks’ director of amateur scouting. “It was important to address some needs for the future.
“Kole has good hockey sense and awareness and spacial recognition. He protects the puck well and has a good shot. And he can play in traffic because he’s a feisty player.
“Jonah is a high-character guy with a net presence and is good with rebounds around the net because he has a high motor. He’s going to keep coming with his skating and he knows it and we’ve talked about it. But he brings something we’re lacking in our depth.”
“But we really believe in him and we think he’s going to get there. We knew we could target some players who were probably deserving of being first-round picks and we feel fortunate. We think we got good value.”