Satyar Shah

But the draft is really the star of the show, especially for a rebuilding team.

Before we get through the odds and go through that whole process, there's a real big prize at the top, and that's Gavin McKenna this year when it comes to the top overall pick, if the Canucks are fortunate enough to get it.

After the first overall pick, there was an assumption that Ivar Stenberg goes number two, but there's been enough...

I'd say buzz and momentum from other players behind Stenberg, that even the second spot is somewhat up for grabs.

So a really fascinating draft class here in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, but the big prize remains Gavin McKenna if you get the first overall pick.

Yeah, and his start to his season in the NCAA with Penn State was a bit, I'd say, underwhelming by the standards and the hopes that people had for Gavin McKenna.

And then at about the halfway point, he turned on the afterburners.

And when it became a bit of a conversation about Stenberg and McKenna, maybe it's Stenberg that goes one over McKenna since then, it seems like.

there's been a big separation between the two players, and a lot of it is how well Gavin McKenna's played, like he went on a tear at the NCAA level, we know there's been a lot of things going on off the ice as well for him, but those things have also kind of been quieted down a little bit considering how the charges against them have been minimized to some degree.

So the off-ice concerns with McKenna have been mitigated to some degree, but more than anything else, his play on the ice, especially in the second half of the year, really solidified his footing as the top prospect in this year's draft.

I have a hard time seeing it right now, but again, we still have some time before we get to the June draft, so perhaps to some degree anything is possible when it comes to the first overall pick, but if a Canadian team, especially Vancouver, gets the first pick,

I will be stunned, shocked, bewildered if they don't take Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick.

We have a lot of reaction on the Dunbar Lumber text inbox.

Siegel and Kit says, love the show.

This is a day we have all been waiting for in Canucks content land.

This is the highlight of the 2026 season for Canucks fans.

We all know that we're picking third, so enjoy the ride today.

But we do get a chance to draft the top D-men in this draft class.

And if there are some beauties when it comes to the D-men as well.

LJ says, think three.