The Vancouver Canucks did everything they could last season to end up with Gavin McKenna.
The NHL Draft Lottery, though, wasn’t on their side. It gave the Toronto Maple Leafs the No. 1 pick, and even the San Jose Sharks the No. 2 selection.
The Canucks had to settle for No. 3, where they took Caleb Malhotra.
Vancouver, with or without Malhotra, seems a team destined for another season checking out the lottery odds.
This time around, though, it may not be as fun. There doesn’t appear to be a McKenna in this class.
The 2026 NHL Draft may have been the Canucks’ best chance at a franchise-changing player, and the lottery didn’t go their way.
Canucks Outlook for 2027 NHL Draft
The Canucks have done the important part heading toward the 2027 NHL Draft: They still have their own first-round pick.
Considering they could struggle mightily this season, that’s important.
They also have two second-round picks, although they don’t have their own. They possess the second-rounders from the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars.
Regardless, it may not matter much.
One NHL Draft analyst, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, posted this unprompted on X on Monday:
My current view of the #2027NHLDraft class: Not high.
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) October 5, 2026
Another, Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff, chimed in simply:
@scottcwheeler Can confirm
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) October 5, 2026
There’s obviously a lot of time for things to change.
McKenna, though, was different. He was viewed as the probable No. 1 pick in his draft class for two or three years, and he pretty much lived up to the hype and held onto that spot.
The players behind him made compelling cases, too. They made real runs at catching McKenna in draft value.
It’s early in the final season before the draft for the prospects, but they’ve got some work to do.
Canucks’ Chances at 1st Pick
The one saving grace, if you can call it that for Vancouver, is that they might not end up feeling quite as bad in the 2027 NHL Draft Lottery.
Early returns suggest they won’t be the worst team in hockey in the 2026-27 season.
The Calgary Flames are trying to run away with that title in the early going. The Flames have a pair of 6-1 losses to the Seattle Kraken, as well as a 4-1 loss to the Canucks, to be outscored 16-3 through their first three games.
Vancouver still doesn’t feel like a contention window is open, but there’s a long distance from not in the playoffs to having the first-place lottery odds.
The Canucks can help their own cause here if they decide to start trading away contributors by the middle of the season, but if the Flames keep this up, that might be a moot point by then.
Given the level of the draft class, maybe it’s not a bad thing if the Canucks are at least a little better this season.
Canucks’ Gavin McKenna Miss Gets Brutal Post-Script News