Caleb Malhotra and Adam Foote are suddenly sitting in the middle of a draft idea the Canucks should treat very carefully.
The question is simple on the surface.
Should Vancouver move down from No. 3 to No. 6 if Calgary comes calling with a package built around extra picks?
Ryan Johnson should listen.
That part is obvious.
A new general manager has to hear every serious offer, especially when a division rival is loaded with extra draft capital and motivated to climb the board. Calgary has its own first-rounder, another first-round pick from Vegas, and 4 second-round selections, including 4 picks in the top 36.
“If the Flames are willing to significantly overpay to climb the draft ladder, sure, the Canucks should be all ears.”
- Jeff Paterson
That is real ammunition.
But listening and doing it are two different things, and this is where the Canucks need to be sharp.
Because once you move from 3 to 6, you are not only collecting futures. You are opening the door for a rival to jump in front of you for the better player.
“The FlamesNation article suggests Calgary would have to throw in its second first-round pick, along with one of its later second-rounders, just to flip picks three and six.”
- Jeff Paterson
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That is the part that should stop Johnson cold unless the Flames come in with a ridiculous overpay.
The file lays it out well. Calgary badly needs an offensive injection, and Vancouver needs one too. So why should the Canucks voluntarily let the Flames move up and grab a stronger forward while they settle for what is left?
That is especially true if Vancouver's board is built around Malhotra.
The article says the idea of trading down and still landing Caleb Malhotra at No. 6 feels like a dream, with the Rangers at No. 5 and maybe even Chicago at No. 4 standing in the way.
That matters a lot.
Once Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Malhotra are off the board, the Canucks are suddenly staring at a thinner forward group and possibly reaching at No. 6.
“But unless they're willing to make a ridiculous offer to do so, the Canucks probably ought to take a pass on this idea.”
- Jeff Paterson
That is not where this franchise should be after a season full of losing.
Fans already took the hit of sliding from lottery hopes to No. 3. Dropping even farther would feel brutal unless Calgary pays a price so heavy that Vancouver cannot reasonably turn it down.
So yes, Johnson should take the call.
Then he should make Craig Conroy pay through the nose or hang up.
Because the Canucks do not need to be polite here.
They need to be right.
Source : Would the Canucks consider swapping first round picks with the Flames?
Should the Canucks refuse to help the Flames move up in the draft?
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