DRAFT-DAY DOMINOES
Canucks’ GM faces many options
At one point, Jim Benning provided some needed comic relief Thursday.
Peppered with a plethora of possibilities that could play out Friday night in opening round of the National Hockey League draft, the Vancouver Canucks general manager asked if the reporter in question (me) was trying to predict who Benning could or should select fifth overall.
“I know you’re trying hard, but we have to see how the draft plays out,” Benning said, chuckling over the endless speculation.
With pursuit of the third-overall selection from Dallas gaining little traction — trading Chris Tanev was expected to be the chip Benning could play — the GM is still going to get exactly what he hoped for with his first pick. He’s going to acquire a good player and also fill a positional need.
But who will it be? Centres Gabriel Vilardi, Cody Glass and Elias Petterssen top the wish list. But what if projected toppairing defenceman Cale Makar somehow slips to the five-hole should Dallas take blue-liner Miro Heiskanen and Colorado at No. 4 sees Vilardi as a future fit with the expected departure of Matt Duchene?
Makar is a coveted puck-moving, power-play quarterback blue-liner, and that’s supposed to trump any centre who may be a secondline guy by the time he makes the NHL.
“Any time you can get a high-end offensive defenceman in today’s game who drives the play for your team, that’s something we’re going to look at,” added Benning.
However, with an organizational need for depth down the middle, Benning could also trade down in the first round in hopes of doubling up. Getting two centres and then picking a puck-moving defenceman at No. 33 would satisfy two crucial needs. The only concern would be moving down and seeing a targeted player selected ahead of the Canucks.
“We’d only do that (move down) if we were going to get a player we targeted,” said Benning.
Another option is to dangle the No. 55 pick and something else to move into the latter half of the first round. Some players are expected to slip and some the Canucks have also targeted could still be there.
“We’ve identified players from No. 20-30 that if they’re there — and there’s a way back into the first round — we’ll look at,” said Benning.
If Dallas can’t find a veteran defensive fit and chooses Heiskanen and Colorado takes Vilardi, then Glass could be the pick at No. 5. He checks all the boxes. The six-foottwo, 178-pound Winnipeg native plays a 200-foot game, scored 70 per cent of his 94 points (32-62) at even strength and 40 per cent of his production came in Western Hockey League road games.
“He’s good in all three zones and the thing about him is his execution rate with the puck is high,” said Benning. Glass is also a product of a Portland Winterhawks program that gives prime prospects a crash course on getting to the NHL under the direction of coach Mike Johnston, a former Canucks assistant. He also made sure Glass killed penalties this season and that his game at even strength was strong, a must for any centre hoping to make an NHL impact.
“For me, 5-on-5 is a huge thing,” said Glass, who has better speed than Vilardi. “You obviously have to take advantage on the power play and we had a really good one. But I’m more of a 5-on-5 player and something I really enjoy.”
Imagine grinding it out at both ends of the ice. It’s why Glass has tried to pattern his game after Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron and why he looks at Ryan Johansen and Mark Scheifele as centres he can hopefully resemble one day.
The Canucks are also high on Petterssen for obvious reasons.
Smooth and intelligent with the puck, there’s no panic in his game, and the teammate of Canucks prospect Jonathan Dahlen has already drawn early comparisons to a budding Nicklas Backstrom. However, being slight in stature at six-foot-two and just 165 pounds, two more seasons playing with men in Sweden could work wonders for the playmaking pivot.
“We have three or four who we feel fit that playmaking need, and Vilardi is in that group, too, because he’s strong on the puck and makes plays from the top of the circle down,” said Benning.
Vilardi had 29 goals and 32 points in 49 Ontario Hockey League games with the Windsor Spitfires en route to capturing the Memorial Cup. The Canucks like his six-foot-three, 201-pound frame and the fact he can play centre or wing. He was moved to the wall this season with the Spitfires having ample middle men.
OF NOTE: The Canucks have the No. 5, 33, 55, 64, 95, 112 (Jannik Hansen trade to San Jose), and 188 picks. Their fifth-round pick (No. 120) went to Edmonton as a conditional for Philip Larsen and their sixthrounder (No. 157) went to the Rangers in the Emerson Etem trade.
Any time you can get a highend offensive defenceman in today’s game who drives the play for your team, that’s something we’re going to look at.