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Canucks ended up with Elias Pettersson at
the 2017 NHL draft
Mot facinating alread a we delight in ever jaw-dropping moment of lia
Petteron’ rookie NHL campaign i the idea that he omehow wan’t more
highl rated in hi draft ear.
He did go fifth overall to Vancouver and that wa even conidered a it high
at the time ome.
How could o man opinion change in jut a ear and a half ?
Our eteemed draft guru Core Pronman lat month acknowledged hi
mitake in not having Petteron higher
(http://theathletic.com/680420/2018/11/29/pronman-propect-i-wa-
wrong-aout-the-2018-edition/), and good on Pronman for having the
honet of looking ack that wa, it make hi work o honet and
tranparent. ut the truth i, Pronman wa hardl alone. The NHL
communit overall didn’t have Petteron a high a needed.
What did o man of u mi here?
“He’ een a it of a later developer,” egan Canuck GM Jim enning in a
chat with The Athletic on Tueda.
“ven growing up a a kid in weden, when the were identifing 13-, 14-,
15- and 16-ear-old on thoe Team weden, he reall wan’t part of that
whole group. He wa a gu we had een pla a lot in hi draft ear. We liked
him. ut he wa a kinn kid. In hi draft ear he wa 160 pound. He wa a
tall, thin kid.’’
Oh, ut kill, the Canuck’ couting ra aw.
“When he had the puck on hi tick, he alwa eemed to make good pla
with it,” aid enning. “We liked hi kill to e honet with ou. You never
know how kid are going to develop after the’re drafted ut we jut felt kill-
wie, he could e one of the mot killed plaer in the draft. We were picking
at No. 5, and that’ the gu we wanted going into the draft. We wanted a
plamaking centre ice man. We knew Henrik (edin) wouldn’t pla forever.
We had o (Horvat) up the middle alread, o if lia wa there at No. 5 he
wa the gu we wanted.’’
It wa Nico or Nolan at the top of the 2017 draft, the Devil taking Hichier
firt overall and the Fler electing Patrick econd.
Which i not to a the Fler didn’t appreciate Petteron the wa. aid
one ource via text meage thi week with knowledge of the Fler’ pre-draft
work, the “RALLY liked Petteron.’’ He jut wan’t an option at No. 2 for
them in their mind. ut the would have tepped up for him drafting a it
lower.
The tar then took Miro Heikanen at No. 3 and what a tud defenceman
he alread look like.
A ource told The Athletic thi week that the tar organization had Petteron
high on their lit and in the converation. ecaue of the Nico/Nolan
quetion at the top, the tar were comfortale with the knowledge the’d get
their D-man in Heikanen at No. 3. However, the ource alo added that
when the team entertained poiilitie of moving down in the draft, the
didn’t want to move too far down ecaue the wanted to keep their chance
of having a hot at Petteron if he were till availale. Intereting.
The Avalanche were next and poitional need rang high in taking lueliner
Cale Makar at No. 4. He hould e a good one, too. ut an Av ource did
tell me thi week that the alo reall liked Petteron’ “kill and mart.’’
Luckil for Vancouver, the laid off Petteron, too.
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
For enning, he arrived at the draft that Frida night in Chicago not
knowing for ure how it would pla out after Nico and Nolan.
“After that we thought it wa wide open,’’ aid enning. “After 1-2 we jut
thought team, ecaue of need, that mae defencemen could go and that’
what ended up happening. Heikanen went No. 3 and Makar went No. 4.
That left Petteron availale for u. ut if Petteron would have gone efore
that, we would have taken one of thoe defencemen. Kind of like with
(rock) oeer (taken 23rd overall in 2015), we were in a good pot and felt
like we were going to get a plaer we reall liked. And that’ what happened.’’
It’ funn how thing work out ometime. The Canuck and their raid fan
ae were ummed when the team finihed econd-lat in the league in 2016-
17 ut ended up fifth overall in the draft lotter, dropping three pot aed
on odd.
I’m not ure how high up the Canuck would have till taken Petteron ut
one thing’ for ure, the couted him a ton that draft ear.
“We had (retired Canuck cout) Inge Hammartrom that live right in that
region, o he aw him pla a lot,” aid enning. “And then with all of our gu
over the coure of the ear, we watched him. We reall knew the plaer.’’
enning himelf aw him four time in peron at the world junior that ear.
“I came awa from that, I rememer thinking he could e the mot killed
plaer in the draft. That wa m thought,” aid enning. “ut there wa rik,
too, we pla in a ig, trong diviion and if he didn’t get tronger there wa the
rik he wan’t going to e trong enough to pla. ut we took that chance.’’
The took that chance ecaue Petteron’ kill and mart outweighed the
rik.
“He’ uch a mart plaer, that wa the thing we talked aout in hi draft ear,
he know where all of hi plaer are on the ice, and where all the other team’
plaer are on the ice a well,” aid enning. “He’ got that ene. That’
omething ou’re orn with. You either have that or ou don’t. People could
a he wan’t trong enough or thi or that, ut he’ o mart. The intereting
thing in all thi i that when he get phicall tronger, a he mature, how
good i he actuall going to turn out to e when all i aid and done?’’
There’ a thought indeed.
(Top photo: Derek Cain/Icon portwire via Gett Image)
Pierre LeBrun (/author/pierre-lebrun/) is a senior NHL columnist for The Athletic. He has been an
NHL Insider for TSN since 2011 following six years as a panelist on Hockey Night In Canada. He also
appears regularly on RDS in Montreal. Pierre previously covered the NHL for ESPN.com and The
Canadian Press. Follow Pierre on Twitter @PierreVLeBrun (https://twitter.com/PierreVLeBrun)
(https://twitter.com/PierreVLeBrun).
50 COMMENTS
Add a comment...
Joonas K. 4h ago
Cant help thinking about the Flyers picking him over Patrick.
Kevin C. 3h ago
@Joonas K. Don't worry - I can't help but think about the Bruins picking Barzal
over Zboril.
Or DeBrusk
Or Senyshyn
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