What Will the Canucks Need in the Draft This Year?

 In my 25 years of being a Vancouver Canucks fan, I have never quite seen a year like this before. The Canucks sit 31st at the halfway mark of the season and after watching both of the games Friday and Saturday it seemed very apparent that this team struggles to score goals. 

Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk and Evander Kane are all having years slightly below expectations. Elias Pettersson has shown glimpses of getting back to a point per game but isn't quite there. 

For a team that is now 5-3-2 since the Quinn Hughes trade I start to wonder if he was bringing down the team moral. When I look at this roster it doesn't seem to be a last place roster. Perhaps, they have too many Abbotsford players in there at one time but Linus Karlson looks like a full time NHLer. 

We are missing a game changer. That might come with this years draft. I'm a Mckenna fan. I think the pain of passing on that type of player could be horrific. My friend wants Stenberg. What this draft class lacks is a Centre that can do everything. This in fact, could be the silverling if the Canucks drop in the draft lottery. Interesting note, the last time a Centre didn't go in the Top 3 you have to go back to 2002 Entry draft when Rick Nash went #1 overall. 

 Mckenna's celling is Patrick Kane where as Stenberg's comparable would be Nikita Kucherov. Great players, but you still need a Robin for every Batman. 

Tynan Lawarnce would be a great consolidation prize at #4 because your getting the first Centre off the board. Canucks are deep at Centre when healthy and Cootes arrives for good but right now they are thin.  

Interesting note, the last time a Centre didn't go in the Top 3 you have to go back to 2002 Entry draft when Rick Nash went #1 overall. 

Canucks have Petterson, Rossi, Cootes and Raty that are under contract for next year but adding a Centre wouldn't be a bad problem to have. 

The Canucks seem set with young D-men but it's hard to pass up a 6'4 defenseman. I feel confident the Canucks to pivot in whatever direction they need to depending on what happens at the lottery.