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There has been a lot of controversy around the Toronto Maple Leafs these days, with the hiring of former Arizona Coyotes executive John Chayka as general manager not exactly garnering rave reviews from the league.
But the draft lottery ahs the potential to heal all wounds, and it may have done just that, as the Toronto Maple Leafs, sitting at the fifth-best odds in the lottery, saw their numbers come up first and now own the first overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo.
The Leafs, who prior to this year hadn’t missed the playoffs since the team picked first overall in 2016 and drafted Auston Matthews, will now get the opportunity to select Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna, who is mostly regarded as the top prospect in the draft.
But the hated Leafs getting first wasn’t bad enough. Even as the Canucks had the best odds of getting both first and second, the San Jose Sharks, who barely missed the playoffs this year, snuck into the second overall spot. Analysts have long considered McKenna and Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg in a tier of their own at the top of the draft.
The Vancouver Canucks, more than any other NHL team, badly need elite talent on the roster. They might still get that at third overall. There are a ton of interesting prospects that will be available, including defenders Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, and Carson Carels, as well as forward Caleb Maholtra.
But, right now, it’s still a clear tier at the top and then anybody’s guess. It’s maybe possible that the Sharks would take a defender to go with some of their young prospect forwards. But we wouldn’t hold our breath waiting for that outcome.
This is a very tough result for Canucks fans to swallow, given how hard the season that just ended was. Hope springs eternal, though. After all, the Colordao Avalanche fell from the best odds in 2018 to fourth. They ended up with some guy named Cale Makar.