Canucks Christmas in June
It was uncharacteristic.
Red Wings executive Ken Holland, who helped build a four-time Stanley Cup champion in Detroit, first as a scout and eventually as general manager, saved his worst for last. “Worst” being overkill terminology for a Hockey Hall of Fame (2020) recognized builder. But his parting shot from the Motor City in 2018 wasn’t his best.
Yet it meant Christmas in June for the Vancouver Canucks.
After twenty-five consecutive years in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Red Wings had missed the dance in 2017 and 2018. The inevitable rebuild was upon them.
Centers and defencemen, centers and defencemen … one would think. The 2018 NHL Draft was teeming with the latter in particular. Aside from Swede Rasmus Dahlin, who would go 1st-overall to the Buffalo Sabres, there was Quinn Hughes who played college hockey just up the road from Motown in Ann Arbor for the University of Michigan, Evan Bouchard from the NHL-prospect factory that is the London Knights of the OHL, Noah Dobson from PEI, playing in the Q, and another Swedish blueliner in Adam Boqvist.
All were considered very likely, if not guaranteed, top-4 NHL regulars.
Drum roll please …
At number-6, the Red Wings chose Halifax Mooseheads winger Filip Zadina, who posted 82 points in 57 major junior games in his only season of North American hockey.
How does the game show sound effect go: WAH, WAh, Wah, waaaaaahhhhh.
Sportsnet analyst Brian Burke can be heard saying something about how the decision was made to “take the best player available”. Not that Burkie knew much about the kid in this case; he was making an assumption that that must have been what Holland was thinking.
Too bad the Red Wings didn’t stick to their plan of taking a defenceman.
Meanwhile, Canucks GM Jim Benning was doing cartwheels in his mind. He had his pick of the blueline litter. In this case, the “runt” would most likely be the biggest star.
Like a little kid at Christmas …
This time around, Burkie wasn’t talking about how talented the pick was, he was talking about how if the player didn’t like where he was drafted, he could decline signing a contract and eventually become a free agent. It’s a four year wait time for college players.
Obviously Hughes didn’t “walk”, but he still might, eight years, or less, into his tenure. Canucks fans are hoping Burkie’s words “they could walk” wasn’t a deep foreshadow of the free agent summer of 2027.
One could hope, and should be reasonably optimistic, that the Vancouver captain will stick around.
Let the perpetual hand wringing begin.
By the way, Boqvist went 8th-overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, Bouchard 10th to the Edmonton Oilers, and Dobson 12th to the Islanders.
Zadina played 190 games for Detroit and scored 28 goals for the franchise before being waived in the summer of 2023.
The Red Wings pick, especially considering what followed it, set their rebuild back at least a half-decade if not longer. Holland left for Edmonton before the next draft, leaving the collateral damage for his replacement, the club’s golden boy, Steve Yzerman.
Huggy? Well, we know what Huggy’s done. Canucks fans will pray he keeps on doing it.
