VegasCanuck

I'm pretty sure Benning has a plan on how to give this team a makeover and he doesn't seem afraid to implement it! Pretty happy with what he has done today so far!

Put Virtanen with a smart passer (Horvat) and watch the fireworks!

Sooooooooooooooooooooo, #24???

Yup, thought so!

Okay, so who do we want at #6 and does anyone know the number for the Canucks table so we can make sure they get the right player???

Calgary is a wildcard. Could go for Richie or Virtanen

Do we try and trade for Bennett at #4? Hello Burke, your old friend Trevor calling!

So, we sign him as UFA in 10 years?

Tick, Toc, Tick, Toc

Bennett anyone??

Now, JB offers Buffalo #6 and #24 for #2

Bet its Ekblad!

How is it that Vancouver has NEVER had a first overall. Hard to imagine with how bad they were through the 80's.

Come on.....HURRY UP AND PICK SOMEONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would take a flyer on Ho-Sang with this pick if he's still there. He's a kid that has all the skill to be a top 10 in this draft but has gotten a bad reputation. Show him some good leadership and work to turn the attitude into desire to prove everyone who passed him over in the first round wrong and you might have a really good player. The chance of guys in the second round becoming regular players in the NHL is around 30 - 35% range according to the TSN article LINK HERE. You have a better chance of that happening with a kid that has the skill to get there. Attitudes can be fixed with the right mentoring and strong leadership!

Reading the new article on the front page of Canucks.com about the draft. It sounds like Jim Benning is talking about Virtanen. Pretty much describes him in the article!

1999 isn't a fair year to compare for any team really! We got, by far, the best 2 players in the First round. Look for yourselves: LINK

I like this guy! I think he's going to do well here and will bring the most out of our prospects as well as our veterans.

Coach settled, this should be the start of a really fast paced next 14 days!

Its interesting that in all the years the Canucks have been in this league, they have never had the first overall pick! That said, if Florida keeps the 1st overall, I will be shocked if they don't take Ekblad. They need defense far more than they need another offensive center. Considering that, any other team targeting 1st overall are likely also more interested in Ekblad since they will also know that's Florida's need. Therefore, our target if we want Reinhart, we need to be talking to Buffalo about trading for #2

I'm betting that its a 4 yr deal, but I'm thinking that a lot of teams are now building in a buyout clause just in case. I think WD is pretty much exactly what this group needs at this point. Feeling really optimistic about the next season. I think there's still gas in the tank if the approach to playing time is balanced.

Welcome to the team Willie!!!! Now, who's going to start the "How many years will Willie be here thread" Maybe we should setup a pool for that....with User ID options!!! $1.00 a guess???

My guess is that everything is agreed to pending face to face meeting. Make sure everyone can work and play nice together.

Being reported everywhere. I think the only thing stopping this at the moment is him coming into town to meet face to face with both Linden and Benning and finalize.

Interesting analysis of First Round picks and how rare it is to get one that really becomes elite or first line player. LINK Good read, often better to trade for proven NHL players.