The Vancouver Canucks could be going against the grain later this month, making a stunning choice at #3.
Conventional wisdom at this point has suggested that the Canucks will select center Caleb Malhotra with the third pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
However, there has been some speculation regarding the fact that the club hired Malhotra’s father, Manny, as its new head coach. As such, that situation has shifted the calculus for the Canucks.
Drafting the junior Malhotra could lead to some controversy about having the coach’s son in the dressing room. That’s a situation that could prompt Vancouver to go in a different direction in the first round of this year’s draft.
And that direction could be Chase Reid.
According to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, the club will be having dinner with the top defenseman candidate at this week’s combine in Buffalo. That situation signals that the Canucks could be looking to take a defenseman, and not a forward, with their pick.
Vancouver with the 3rd overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft.
The latest mock draft in The Athletic has the San Jose Sharks taking Reid at #2, with the Canucks grabbing Malhotra at #3. If the Sharks were to pull off such a move, it could radically change the scenario for Vancouver.
The organization would have to either take Malhotra, speculation notwithstanding, or move on to another prospect like, say, Ivar Stenberg.
Canucks Have Three Solid Defensemen to Pick at #3
Even if Chase Reid comes off the board at #2, the Canucks would have two other solid blueline choices.
Projected to go at #5 in The Athletic’s mock draft is Carson Carels out of Prince George of the WHL. Carels is considered a strong, physical blueliner with shutdown potential. Vancouver could certainly use a defenseman of this ilk.
Considering the Canucks already have a power play quarterback in Zeev Buium, there might not be a pressing need for a puck-moving, offensive defenseman with this pick.
Also, the #6 pick on The Athletic’s board is Keaton Verhoeff out of North Dakota. Earlier in the year, various pundits had Verhoeff as a contender over Gavin McKenna for the top pick. Since then, the consensus on Verhoeff has been top five potential.
Verhoeff has size, speed, and skills to make him a solid addition to the Canucks’ blue line. Nowadays, teams can’t have enough skilled puck-moving defenseman. So, if one is available, it would make sense to take one.
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Vancouver Could Just Take Best Available Player
Ultimately, the Canucks could just sidestep the entire debate and take the best available player. Assuming the Toronto Maple Leafs take McKenna first and the Sharks take a defenseman (Reid or Carels) at #2, Vancouver could end up with Stenberg on their lap.
Stenberg has gotten plenty of recognition as the best two-way player in this year’s draft field. That’s nothing to sneeze at, considering how valuable such forwards are.
The logic behind taking the best available player is something that most organizations use to guide their drafting decisions. Drafting for positional needs makes sense. But rebuilding teams don’t always have specific positional needs.
They just need to replenish their prospect pipeline. And that’s the ethos the Canucks should have going into the 2026 NHL Draft.
Canucks Could Make Stunning Choice at #3 in 2026 NHL Draft