After making one unexpected deal, Vancouver GM Aaron Sanderson made another trade on the eve of the all-players Draft.
Newswire - On Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks issued a press release stating that they had swapped selection order in the upcoming Dispersal Draft with the Florida Panthers.
When asked about the move, Canucks GM Aaron Sanderson was cryptic in his response: "Yeah, 18th was a good spot, and we were prepared to draft there. But we see the potential for a major name on our list to drop to sixth."
When prodded further, he added: "Guys like Draisaitl and McDavid, they will go early for sure, no doubt about it, and they should. We will certainly grab them if they are available, but we don't expect to see either of them drop (to the sixth position)."
"It would be imprudent and unprofessional of me to name names, so I won't. But you'd better believe the my management team in Vancouver have their eyes set on somebody that they believe is TRULY special."
The next day, the Canucks slid back into the seventh position when they again swapped their selection order - this time with the Carolina Hurricanes, who had just moved from the 13th spot in a swap with the New York Islanders.
The moves may not have been expected, but the past couple of days have definitely played into the ethos that nothing is ever etched in stone in Vancouver.