Following the completion of the 2016 NHL regular season, the Vancouver Canucks were a team badly in need of a rebuild. Franchise players Henrik and Daniel Sedin were still productive NHL players, but even the twins were immune to the inevitable effects of aging. The team was far from being able to contend for a Stanley Cup and had a thin prospect pool.
The Canucks finished 28th overall in the NHL standings with a 31-38-13 record and were awarded the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NHL draft. The draft was an important one for Canadian teams, as six of the first seven picks belonged to Canadian teams.