On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed the Vancouver Canucks’ approach to the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and whether they should consider moving the 15th overall pick to address organizational needs, specifically a top-six forward.
“You have to try shopping it to address centre needs,” Harm said. “The complicating factor is this year’s draft class, especially in the middle, is weaker than years past. From the Canucks’ perspective, that may incentivize this idea that this pick is more expendable than in the past anyway, but how does that potentially hinder the trade value of the pick? It goes both ways.”
Harm pointed to last year’s draft as an example, when Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams publicly stated his desire to move a mid-round first for immediate help and still couldn’t get a deal done in what was widely viewed as a stronger class than this year.
“You shop it in my mind, do your best,” Harm continued. “I’d much rather they trade this year’s first than next year’s first. When we talk about trading that pick, nobody is talking about trading it for a guy with one year left on his contract or someone deep into his 30s. You’re trying to do it for someone who has team control left.”
He added that the target doesn’t necessarily have to be a young prospect: “It could be a guy in his late 20s provided there’s team control, but it has to be for somebody that’s here for a while and can grow with your core. To execute that type of move, you look to shop that pick and honestly, if it’s a centre, you’re probably going to need to add on top of that pick anyway.”
Quads noted that trade value ultimately comes down to the player on the other side of the deal. “It depends who the centre is, obviously. There’s some players you look at and say, ‘Would I even want to give up the 15th overall pick for them?’ and others where you say, ‘I’d give up the pick but I’d probably have to add Tom Willander or another player to get him.'”
He added that timing on draft day could play a big role: “If there’s a player that I really like and he’s still available at 15th, I don’t trade the pick. But if he’s taken at ninth or 10th or whatever, yeah, flip the pick. I know it’s not that simple, especially on draft day with other teams and their plans, but that’s how I would approach it.”
Harm closed with a broader warning: “My worry would be if the team doesn’t find the right opportunity, keeps the pick, and later in the summer realizes they need to upgrade this forward group substantially to maximize their chances of having a good season next year so Hughes will want to sign an extension. If you’ve already selected a player with that 15th overall pick, and you’re then trying to make a big swing for a centreman – or any borderline star talent who can score 70 or 80 points, who will presumably be expensive – the idea of trading next year’s first-rounder would scare me.
“We’ve seen with this Canucks team that things can go wrong, and the idea of an unprotected first-round pick going out the door in 2026 when you have no idea what Elias Pettersson will look like next season or any certainty around Demko’s health, that would be too risky and would make me more motivated to try and use that 15th pick to get the help I need at the forward position.”
You can watch the full segment below:
READ NEXT: Canucks’ draft options at 15th overall: Brady Martin
Sponsored by bet365
