Back at the 2016 NHL trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks wanted to sell their pending unrestricted free agents Dan Hamhuis and Radim Vrbata for draft picks or prospects. They failed.
After a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, the Canucks were hoping to win the draft lottery as the third-worst team in the league. They failed.
At the 2016 draft, Canucks GM Jim Benning wanted to add a potential No. 1 center. At the very least, he wanted to stock up on forwards with top-line potential. He failed.
But, it wasn’t all bad.