Vancouver Canucks fans have been waiting a long time for this.
Ever since Mike Gillis first suggested a rebuild in 2013-14, many fans in this market have been waiting for the team to stockpile draft picks, forgo shortcuts, and work toward building a Stanley Cup contender.
You know, basically following the path that almost every other Stanley Cup contender has taken.
It took 12 years, but the Canucks are finally here.
Since the Quinn Hughes trade on Dec. 12, the Canucks have acquired nine total draft picks. That includes five selections in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, bringing their total to 10.
This is the first time since 2003 that the Canucks have held 10 picks in the same draft.
However, the NHL reduced the number of rounds in the draft from nine to seven back in 2005, meaning this is the most picks the Canucks have had in one year during the modern era.
They’ve also stockpiled four extra picks in 2027 and 2028.
The Canucks have extra picks coming up in the next four drafts (PuckPedia)
Of course, in typical Canucks fashion, there is a caveat to the amount of draft picks they’ve accumulated.
Namely, their competitors at the bottom of the NHL standings have done the same.
The St. Louis Blues now have three picks in the first round in this year’s draft, after they dealt both Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk at the deadline. They also have 12 picks total in this year’s draft, including 10 in the first five rounds.
In Chicago, the perpetually rebuilding Blackhawks have four first-round picks in the next two drafts. They also have seven second-rounders between now and 2028, compared to six for the Canucks.
Not only that, but they’ve made 11 first-round selections in the last four drafts. Even though they haven’t escaped the NHL’s basement yet, they’re well-positioned to jump up the standings soon.
Although the Nashville Predators weren’t able to trade some of their biggest names, they still have 12 picks in the upcoming draft, including 10 in the first five rounds. They’ve now accumulated 33 picks over the next three drafts, compared to 28 selections for the Canucks.
And that brings us to the Calgary Flames, who were the big winners in terms of stockpiling futures.
After trading away three of their best players in Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri, the Flames now have six first-round picks and eight second-round selections in the next three drafts.
The Canucks have gotten off to a decent start in terms of gathering draft capital, but the work of the teams around them shows that rebuilding isn’t easy, nor can you take shortcuts.
If it’s any consolation, Patrik Allvin and the Canucks scouting staff have seemingly done well so far at the draft.
His three first round selections in Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander, and Braeden Cootes appear to be good value relative to where they were picked.
The scouting staff has also unearthed promising players after the first round, including defenceman Elias Pettersson, Sawyer Mynio, Ty Mueller, Anthony Romani, and Aleksei Medvedev.
They’ve also selected two promising third-rounders in Hunter Brzustewicz and Melvin Fernstrom, both of whom have been traded away by the Canucks.