Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet to mine your comments for gold on a weekly basis.

Speaking of prospecting, the Vancouver Canucks just held their Prospects Showcase alongside the Seattle Kraken, and with that, the 2026-27 NHL season is officially upon us. And with a team as dedicated to the rebuild as the Canucks seem to be, that Prospects Showcase might wind up being one of the most important things to happen this entire year.

Obviously, the Canucks are banking a lot on their current slate of prospects, along with the slate they’re planning to draft over the next couple of years. But hockey prospects are a lot like lottery tickets. Some are sure to be winners, but it’s hard to guarantee they’ll be the ones in your hands.

Inevitably, some of the Canucks’ current cupboard of prospects are going to disappoint, just like some are going to exceed expectations. There’s no real way of knowing, but there is ample opportunity to make guesses and predictions and hope for the best, which is what we’re here to do today.

For the purposes of this question, we’re going to define a “prospect” as someone who is still rookie-eligible, meaning they’re 25 years of age or younger and have played 25 NHL games or fewer. That conveniently cuts off a number of the Canucks’ more developed youngsters, like Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren, and Tom Willander.

Beyond that, we’re focused on stardom here today. As in, which of the Canucks’ current prospects are going to experience true NHL stardom one day. In your opinion, of course.

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You answered below!

I am pleasantly surprised with RJ. When he said at his initial presser that this wouldn’t be a fire sale, I didn’t put much weight on him saying that. My gut feeling is he is going to stick to being patient and calculated with his moves. Getting rid of the Marcus Pettersson contract was a great move. Now he can be patient and try to move a couple more of those NMCs. I’m also pleased he hasn’t hired any old retreads. They are obviously going into the rebuild with some fresh younger minds in the organization and I really like that.

I thought the Canucks management had good summer. They were prepared for the draft and made some nice selections. Free agency went well, and they were able to make a trade for a future first round pick.

Overall, not bad for a start. I don’t have high expectations for this season, but think the following season is when this management group will have to show progress with their draft selections starting to make their mark in the league.

A good start, but a long ways to go. The Sedins/Johnson clearly have a long-term plan in place and are executing to that plan. It sounds simple, but previous management teams were lacking this.

Using a home building analogy, they have knocked down the crumbling house, worst on the block, and are just starting to clear the lot.

As outsiders looking in, we have only a vague notion of what they will build, but we are happy the old eyesore is gone.

RJ knocked down some dry rotted walls, only to discover a couple bodies still buried behind them.

Petterson – Second pair D exchanged for not much difference, slightly less money, and for only two years. Great decisions for that position

Höglander – 3rd or 4th line winger with fingers crossed exchanged for a 3rd or 4th line winger that is going to help build the team, plus saved $3 mil next year. Great decision for that position.

Free Agents – We aren’t swinging for the fences and he brought in usable pieces on short contract. Great decisions.

Draft – Good for the first round and 2nd round, but I think the 3rd round and after should have concentrated on defense, you have better luck with late draft players who play D. Missed opportunities.

Patience – Perfect, getting rid of everyone at once is a disaster, I feel good that this new group are going to build a winner without getting nervous and selling your future for one shot, like PAJR did.

Overall – I feel this is what our franchise needs.

I think two of the hires were excellent. Ryan Stewart as Director of Hockey Strategy. He’s going to help evaluate our players and fix the organizational weak spots that have plagued us for years. The other great move is bringing in Sean Finn as an amateur scout. His KHL background is a massive asset since next year’s draft is going to be loaded with elite Russian talent.

So far so good.

The player movement out has been relatively muted in volume but that seems like the most difficult moves to make. The easy trades/moves have been made, others will take more time.

The additions have been low key, but bring identified skillsets (character and toughness) this team sorely needs.

The draft was a huge success, IMO. They seemed to have identified the type of player the team will start building with and hit some home runs.

The lack of noise around the FO is extremely impressive. Rutherford et al created a ton of noise with not much to show for it. The old adage “empty barrels make the most noise” always seemed to ring true for them.

Slow, steady, and patient is an intelligent way to begin a rebuild.

Ryan Johnson nailed his first offseason as Canucks GM.

I like RJ’s work so far. I still lean towards Verhoeff or Reid as better picks than Malhotra with the #3 pick this year, but Malhotra looks good. I appreciate at least that Johnson kept all his picks and isn’t going for quick fixes, which have plagued the organization since the Benning years. The Marcus Pettersson trade was excellent and the Buium signing looks solid. Overall, I’m just happy that he seems to be taking a long-term approach. It’s long overdue.

I give him a solid meh. I like that he was decisive in moving Höglander, and the MP29 deal was gutsy as the return from that trade might be five years down the road, two years after Johnson’s first contract expires. He’s preached about patience for the rebuild, and demonstrated what that looks like in one trade. For me, that was tempered by using the team’s highest pick in 27 years to select the coach’s son. That was the fan’s reward for the what was arguably the worst season in team history.

Johnson better be right, because like it or not, he’s is going to wear the outcome of his first ever pick. They expect a long runway for their rebuild, but if the Malhotra decision goes sideways, that will measurably shorten it.

Overall, it was a safe off-season. My only issue is the Buium extension, though I understand the reasoning. Management is banking on him becoming a star, but he didn’t have a spectacular year and only has one season of NHL experience. To me, it’s reckless gambling. Some will argue that if Buium hits 50 points, his asking price goes up by another $4M–$5M a year. I’d be okay with that. I’d rather pay a premium for a proven player than gamble on just one year of data.

He definitely seems to have a plan, vision, and he is sticking to it. Hard to criticize him on any of his moves so far.

Overall, it was a good but with room for improvement in his first off-season. That said, it was a significant improvement over the previous regime that did nothing of significance in their first year.

The good was moving Marcus Pettersson, Höglander, and the draft. The veteran defender signings were also solid. I’m also pleased about the discussions around culture, albeit, credit for that may be more on the President than the GM.

I’m a bit on the fence on Cotter, they need some more toughness in the lineup and they shouldn’t have to rely on an aging player in Schenn to be providing that. Cotter is a bit of a gamer, but not as tough as they guy they let go in Douglas or others that could have been considered.

I’m also a bit divided on the Buium deal. Maybe this is the expectation for young players these days, but just because everyone is doing these deals, does that make it the right thing to do? That argument makes being an NHL GM an easy job because you don’t have to be creative, you just have to follow along with what the crowd is doing.

What I thought could be better was being able to move on at least one or more veteran forwards. Any combination of one or more of DeBrusk, Boeser, or EP40 should have been moved.

I’ve liked what RJ has done so far. I think the NHL Draft went really well for the Canucks and the prospect pool is looking much better.

It feels like management and coaching are all on the same page and everyone involved are people of character. I think players will be happy to work with this management group.

I like that the Canucks are embracing a true rebuild, and there has been no waffling like we saw under previous management about a rebuild. No hybrid rebuilds, or any of that crap.

I get a sense that management is being decisive. They saw what happened to the Ducks team and were proactive in making a big bet on Buium with his contract signing that may ultimately save them cap space down the road.

The next big test will be the trade deadline to see if they can offload some of their remaining veterans. If they can offload Demko, I will call it a success.

Johnson gets top marks for saying all the right things and not doing anything to contradict his words. I’m optimistic most of his moves will turn out well, but far from certain they will. Johnson comes across as intelligent and thoughtful and seems to approach decisions considering a much bigger picture than just the transaction itself.

The MPettersson trade and Buium contract demonstrates Johnson thinks longer term. The risk on Buium is he ends up overpaid by $2 mil for four years while the cap catches up. The risk of waiting is Buium costs $3-4 mil more for 7 years. That’s roughly a $20-30 mil risk on one side versus an $8 mil risk on the other.

Every prospect ranking out since the draft rates a few 2026 drafted D-men ahead of Malhotra. The 2027 draft is loaded with high end centres. The best player available for the Canucks is probably a centre. I remain convinced drafting a future top pairing D-man was the better move. Hopefully Malhotra proves me wrong.

It’s encouraging Johnson showed a higher priority for player size with his picks, signings, and trades.

It’s disappointing Johnson didn’t find a way to add more future draft picks. I also think there were better options than Gallagher out there. Veterans more likely to provide a nice return at the deadline.

Johnson’s moves have not paid off yet. An evaluation of his record will have much more meaning a year from now. For now he deserves most of the optimism he is being shown.

I like his work so far and especially with his drafting and free agent signings, a clear view of what he wants the team to become. Big, fast, and physical. Sounds a lot like the Panthers to me.

Optimism, something I haven’t felt since probably the Boston series. It’s nice.

Probably the only “misstep” by the current administration has been drafting the coach’s kid. Absolutely nothing personal against either Manny or Caleb, but that just feels like a potential massive self-inflicted landmine.

The NHL is a very difficult league, without the additional pressure of perceived nepotism. I’m becoming a big Caleb Malhotra fan, but feel he would have benefited more from being drafted to another organization where he’s just another prospect, one of the boys trying to cash his lottery ticket.

I’m prepared for a couple tough seasons but believe we finally, for the first time since the Gillis regime, have the right people in charge of hockey operations.

RJ has done a great job of being a steady hand. He has made trades and signed Zeev. Unlike his reverse initials, he doesn’t spark a media storm every time he steps to a mic.

The true test will be the development of the young players, especially Caleb. There is a chance the Canucks don’t pick as high as third overall for the rest of the rebuild. Hopefully not, but if Caleb doesn’t become a #1 or high 2 center??? That’s a hit.

I think the new team has been much bolder than I expected. I know people were expecting them to draft Malhotra, but I’m not sure Rutherford would have done that with Manny as the coach. This is defining move for them.

They accepted a 2030 first round pick (might be 2031) for the Marcus Pettersson trade. This beyond RJ’s current contract. Not many managers would do this.

The other obvious bold transaction was the Buium extension. It’s a big bet on a small size.

Then there’s the deals they didn’t do. Not many are expecting much from a EP40 deal. Many would just want the contract and player gone. By sticking with him, RJ is owning EP40 at least for the start of this season.

Overall, am glad that they aren’t being timid. They will need to bold and creative to build a Cup contender.

I feel that finally the absolute basic hockey team management 101 stuff that should be so bleedingly obvious to everyone to do, they are finally doing. Also finally focusing on the type of player that wins playoff games. I think they’ll still be handcuffed financially by the owners and not be able to maximize their cap space.

I am impressed. He signed low-risk contracts for character guys which should help with team spirit. These guys don’t block any prospects, and should be good teammates. He said that was important, and these guys are proven in that respect.

I approve immensely of the Buium contract. RJ showed his ability to see the landscape and act accordingly.

I approve of his trades, and depth signings.

He has moved out one protected contract, and I think he can continue chipping away at that in due time. I don’t really wanna watch the likes of Boeser and DeBrusk anymore, but I can exercise patience.

Petey is an enigma of the highest order. I vacillate between a hate that makes me want him gone at any cost, and the hope that he can be an impact player again I will tolerate being on the team.

I think the Malhotra hire is solid. Time will tell.

I certainly approve of the draft picks, overall. I’ll approve much more if three of the top-four guys can be future cogs in a contender or useful assets in pursuit of that end.

I am not impressed with overall roster make-up for an NHL team, but he gets a pass because it will lead to awful results in the standings and another lottery shot. I’ll be more discerning as time goes on.

So far so good.