Let’s get the obvious out of the way and tackle the draft lottery. The Canucks lost the lottery, then they lost it again and again, dropping out of the top three and falling into fifth overall. Which, by the way, was the spot they were statistically most likely to fall into…

That doesn’t make it any less disappointing. Just another blow suffered by this fan base in a season some might aptly describe as a marathon of pain. Landing a player like Auston Matthews – and to a lesser extent, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi – would alter the long-term trajectory of this franchise and increase their playoff chances going into next season.

Now that we’re all at peace with Saturday’s events (?) I think we can shift our focus to the players the Canucks are likely to choose at fifth overall. Get well acquainted with Olli Juolevi. That’s a player the Canucks covet and are likely to land in the first round.

The decade long rebuild is starting to wear thin on the Oilers and their fan base. They need help on the blue line and they need it as soon as yesterday. Realistically, I think they’d settle for next season though. They’re not getting that help at fourth overall. This is a great class for defenceman, but I can’t think of any that are ready to step into the NHL next season.

All this is to say that the Oilers could look to use the fourth overall selection they were dealt in the lottery to acquire a defenceman. If not, though, they’re a team that could look to add skill and size on the wing. Matthew Tkachuk seems a likely candidate.

From the perspective of a Canucks fan, I certainly hope they go the Tkachuk-route. That would leave Pierre-Luc Dubois for the Canucks. An excellent consolation prize.

The biggest winner at the draft lottery was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who finished last and maintained their spot atop the draft order. They’ll get their franchise center in Matthews. The tank was perfectly executed, and then they had a little luck on their side, too. The perfect storm.

I do wonder if this takes Toronto out of the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes. They can afford Stamkos going into next season and probably many thereafter, but what happens when William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Matthews are up for new contracts?

The Stamkos-to-Vancouver pipe dream just got a little more real. If only by a sliver. Then again, the same can be said for any of the countless others who would like to take part in the Matthews sweepstakes.

If the Canucks land any of the big three, they’re likely filing the paperwork for Burrows’ buyout post-haste. They’re not getting an NHL-ready prospect at fifth overall though. It’s not likely, anyways. That just might open the door for a Burrows return.

Frankly, though, I honestly hadn’t thought of this until it was brought up by @Taj1944. All credit to him on this one.

This might be the last Monday Morning Musing for a while. There’s just very little happening at this stage. I’ll still be doing the Monday Mailbag, though, so if you want to hear my thoughts on anything happening around the NHL, you’ll know where to find me.