With plenty of buzz around Vancouver, here are three predictions for what will happen on draft day. Not the most dangerous of the predictions here. After stalling at the trade deadline, trade talk has increased tenfold surrounding the Canucks’ best trade chip. Coming off a 32-goal, 99-point campaign, Miller remains a sought-after commodity as the draft approaches. Could the #NJDevils put the 2nd overall pick or Jesper Bratt on the table in exchange for JT Miller? @frank_seravalli joined #Canucks Central with @danriccio_ and @SatiarShah to talk about the latest on Miller and more. 🢢:
— Sportsnet 650 (@Sportsnet650) July 5, 2022 Advertisement – Continue Reading Below There have been many groups thrown by all sorts of insiders. The New Jersey Devils were probably the most specifically linked, with the 2nd overall pick in the mix. Carolina also is rumored to want Miller in exchange for some of their expiring RFAs, such as Martin Necas. The Rangers also remain interested after a surprising playoff run. Regardless, the list of teams interested in Miller is long. Contract negotiations may still be ongoing, but there’s a very good chance the Canucks can leverage Miller’s value to trade him on draft day. In the first round, teams should select based on the best player available. While there are some interesting defense prospects like Owen Pickering and Pavel Mintyukov, the Canucks shouldn’t prioritize position needs just yet. In fact, there’s a better chance they’ll select a forward prospect with their own first-round pick. There is a slightly chaotic element to this draft. Most of these prospects missed a key season of development thanks to the pandemic, leading to quite a bit of shuffling especially at the top of the draft. Shane Wright no longer looks like the undisputed number one with the blistering Juraj Slafkovsky hot on his tail. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below What that means for the Canucks is that there are plenty of turnovers and potential slumps to take advantage of. Last season, fans saw Finnish phenom Aatu Raty slide all the way to the second round. Maybe that will happen again, where Vancouver can find themselves a blue-chip forward right in the middle of the first round. And there’s plenty of talent that could be hovering around the 15th overall pick range. Swedish dynamo Jonathan Lekkerimaki is at the higher end of this side, displaying a top-notch scoring ability that lands him in the top 10 in some mock drafts. Bob McKenzie’s list shows him from 6th to 15th. Hat trick for Jonathan Lekkerimakis (2022) #J20Nationell pic.twitter.com/b04PNRmBaB — NHL Draft Watch (@DraftWatchNHL) September 17, 2021 Two other Swedish forwards who could be caught in that range are Noah Östlund and Liam Öhgren. Both have done well in the Swedish U20 league with Djurgårdens IF. Öhgren scored 58 points in 30 games, with Östlund having 42 in 32. Either of these players would be good locker options. That doesn’t even mean Frank Nazar or Isaac Howard. The two Americans have lit up the USHL, Nazar tallying 70 points in 56 games and Howard scoring 82 points in 60 games. The quick, agile Howard heads to Minnesota Duluth, while the dazzling Nazar goes to Michigan. Both of these players have been mocked as high as the top 10 and as low as the 20s. This Frank Nazar III piece should be fun… @EPrinkside pic.twitter.com/hgx01tRZMa — /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) March 10, 2022 Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Other possible options could be the boom or bust of Brad Lambert or a Russian sliding down like Danila Yurov. Whoever the pick is, there is a much larger pool of forward talent for the Canucks in their 15, and one of them will be selected. Currently, the Canucks do not own a 2nd round pick. This was packaged in the OEL-Garland trade last season. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t get a second round pick. Vancouver could very well return in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. A 2nd round pick could be thrown in a significant trade return, like the one for JT Miller. Another name that has also been in the trade rumors is Tanner Pearson. The 29-year-old winger is coming off a 34-point season and could very well be moved if the price is right. Management probably already has some secondary goals in mind. If a first-round talent slips from day one, the Canucks could very well pull the trigger on a move to move back into the second round. Players like Filip Bystedt or Ty Nelson would go a long way in replenishing the prospect pipeline. Great game from Ty Nelson last night on the powerplay. No assists on the play, but terrific backcheck and subsequent quick breakout resulted in a Battalion goal. pic.twitter.com/L328lKoT3e — Brock Otten (@BrockOtten) November 13, 2021 It never hurts to have another lottery pick in the first two rounds of the draft. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below Draft Day represents the realization of a lifetime of work for many of these prospects, as well as a variety of opportunities for all NHL franchises. Vancouver’s management may have ended the season on a quiet note, but make no mistake: the fireworks are coming. More from CanucksArmy: