A few years from now, when Edmonton is playing against Montreal in the Stanley Cup final, when Toronto’s Auston Matthews has just won a Hart Trophy and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine a Rocket Richard Trophy, in a season when all seven Canadian teams qualified for the playoffs, we’ll be looking back at June 24 as the day when it all turned around.
Wishful thinking? Yeah, perhaps just a little.
But with the Maple Leafs holding the No. 1 pick, the Jets selecting second overall and Edmonton (fourth), Vancouver (fifth) and Calgary (sixth) picking in the top six — Montreal (ninth) and Ottawa (15th), not far behind — this year’s NHL Draft has the potential to be significant turning points for all seven Canadian franchises.