logo
CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Canucks Christmas Wishlist: Trade for more draft picks
alt
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jacob Fraser
Dec 23, 2025, 18:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 23, 2025, 17:54 EST
Comments
The Vancouver Canucks have been winning games since the Quinn Hughes trade, and Jim Rutherford uttered the forbidden word “rebuild.” The hope is that they don’t use this recent road trip as an excuse to rush the process and believe they’re closer to competing than they actually are.
In the past, the Canucks have elected to retain some of their pending UFAs and veteran players to push for the playoffs. Last season, the best examples of this were Brock Boeser and Pius Suter, who, at the time, were heavily rumoured to be on their way out and unlikely to sign extensions in the offseason. 
Now, of course, Boeser ultimately extended at the 11th hour, but this season the Canucks need to embrace the rebuild and sell off some of their pending UFAs and aging veterans. 
As of this moment, the Canucks currently hold six picks in the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They have their own first, second, fourth, fifth and sixth round picks as well as the Minnesota Wild’s first rounder.
This isn’t enough for a team to start building a deep prospect pool. It’s great to pick up an addition first, but there’s still more work to be done by the Canucks management group to amass more draft capital. 
Let’s kick things off with the most obvious trade target, Kiefer Sherwood. What Sherwood has been able to do in Vancouver has been incredible. He’s gone from being a player with only one double-digit goal season to now being a legitimate contributor offensively while playing such high energy, never taking a shift off – the perfect player for a playoff contender looking to bolster their lineup. 
The next choice would be to move off of Conor Garland. He means a ton to the Canucks and is a big part of the team’s current culture. That said, he’s 29 years old, with a contract extension kicking in that will pay him through age 36 and includes a full no-move clause. 
The truth of the matter is that, although he’s been an integral part of the Canuck lineup over the past couple of seasons, the team needs to continue to get younger and undergo a cultural shift. Having money tied up in veterans with a term makes rebuilding even more difficult to nail. 
The two of Conor Garland and Kiefer Sherwood on the trade market could get you a first-round pick for each, and potentially some additional late-round picks or young players/prospects as well.
Heading into this year’s draft with four first-round picks in what a lot of people believe to be a high-end draft class would be an excellent way to propel the rebuild, especially if management wants this to be a quicker one. 
Let’s not stop there. Evander Kane and Drew O’Connor are another couple of pieces the Canucks could look to move for some more draft capital. They won’t net you a return of a first-round pick, but there is potential for these two guys to get back a similar return to the Mason Marchment trade.
Kane is a proven playoff performer and is on an expiring deal. The cap hit is high, but if the Canucks retain half his salary at the deadline, a contending team may be willing to give up a high-to-mid-round pick and take a chance on him for a playoff push. 
O’Connor might even be easier to convince another team to take a shot on. He’s 27 years old, has top-end speed, and is scoring at half a point per game, with a modest $2.5-million salary and an extra year. He would fit a bottom-six role perfectly on a contender, adding some depth, scoring production and defensive ability. 
Not only would moving these players give the Canucks more draft capital and help them bottom out for a better chance at winning the draft lottery, but it would also result in more young players being integrated into the lineup and playing significant minutes at that.
The Canucks are in a prime position to better their future while seeing what they have in the young players currently in the system. Liam Öhgren and Jonathan Lekkerimäki could have the opportunity to play top-six minutes consistently at the end of the year, helping them develop and grow at the NHL level.
There are many benefits to being a seller, particularly this year, when there are so few around the National Hockey League and the way that season has gone to this point, there isn’t really a downside to point to. 
What do you think, Canucks fans? Is more draft picks on your Christmas Wishlist this year? And if so, who do you think they should look to move to get those draft picks? Let us know in the comments below!
Sponsored by bet365

Editorials

Breaking News