NHL Draft: These two gamers are why the Canucks shouldn't commerce again from No. 11

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When a workforce trades down within the first spherical of the NHL Entry Draft, they have to take into account the chance prices of such a transfer.

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The decline in decide worth from, say, fifth total to eleventh might be fairly apparent. There’s additionally a decline if a workforce have been to maneuver from 11 to 19, though not as steep as the previous.

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However there may be nonetheless a loss, and that’s what the Vancouver Canucks could be going through in the event that they have been to commerce their present first-round decide — eleventh total — to the Chicago Blackhawks, who maintain the nineteenth decide on this month’s draft, on prime of the primary total choice.

A commerce between the 2 golf equipment isn’t an impossibility. The Blackhawks, as has been identified earlier than, want gamers. Additionally they have loads of picks to spare. In the event that they have been to incorporate a second-round decide of their supply to the Canucks, Vancouver has an honest probability in recouping the worth of the eleventh decide by the mixed worth of the 2 prospects they might purchase with the nineteenth and thirty fifth picks.

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That stated, there are a pair of prospects that ought to give the Canucks pause if they’re nonetheless on the board when the eleventh decide comes up: Ryan Leonard and Chilliwack’s Zach Benson.

Leonard is a basic energy ahead — one NHL scout instructed Postmedia he’ll possible go someplace between the sixth and tenth within the draft.

The super-skilled Benson is extra possible within the Canucks’ vary, as the identical scout expects him to go between tenth and twelfth.

The Boston Faculty-bound Leonard scored 51 targets in 57 video games for the U.S. Nationwide Staff Improvement program, whereas Benson scored 98 factors in 60 video games for the Winnipeg Ice.

Each are astounding totals for draft-eligible forwards. And each are gamers that a number of NHL scouts instructed Postmedia ought to make the Canucks suppose laborious concerning the eleventh total decide.

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J.D. Burke, editor in chief at Elite Prospects, concurred wholeheartedly with the assessments delivered by the scouts.

“They’ll’t afford to not deliver one in every of these guys into the fold. You don’t get the quick cap aid, however you will have the potential so as to add a cost-controlled difference-maker one or two years down the highway. That’s price its weight in gold,” Burke stated Thursday.

Burke sees Benson because the fifth-best prospect within the draft, a lot nearer to the highest 4 of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson than the subsequent tier down.

“He’s that good. He’s somebody with the potential to be a first-line winger on the NHL degree with even modest enhancements as a skater. In an unusual yr, he’s in competition for the primary total decide — that’s how extremely we price him at Elite Prospects,” he stated.

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Burke and his colleagues have Leonard No. 6 on their checklist.

“The participant comparability we landed on was ‘The third Tkachuk.’ He’s a fierce competitor who could make performs together with his fingers, his shot, and as a distributor. A prototypical energy ahead who drags your workforce into the combat. He simply would possibly be capable of play centre, too,” he stated.

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