Stenberg is officially a San Jose Shark, and the reaction in Vancouver's draft room said everything words couldn't.
The San Jose Sharks used the third overall pick on Stenberg, and video from the room showed the moment landing hard on the wrong side of the table.
NHL Trade Alert posted the clip Friday, and the caption cut right to it.
This doesn't feel like the thing you share to get your fans excited about your third overall pick, the post read.
Multiple people looked disappointed the moment San Jose's pick was read, before Vancouver even had the microphone.
That reaction says plenty about who the Vancouver Canucks actually wanted at that spot.
The Canucks finished dead last overall this past season at 25-49-8, a brutal stretch that produced that top of the draft position in the first place.
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Video shows Canucks table's reaction before Malhotra pick
Vancouver still had to make a selection, and Caleb Malhotra is the name that came off the board next for the Canucks.
But the timeline here matters. Stenberg went off the board first, and Vancouver's body language on camera came before Malhotra's name was ever called.
It's the kind of visual that follows a franchise around, whether it wants it to or not.
New Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra takes over a team that allowed 316 goals last season, worst mark in the league by a wide margin.
He wasn't the one making the pick. Draft rooms and coaching staffs work differently, but the optics land on his rebuild regardless.
None of this means Malhotra can't be the better long term player. Draft reactions age fast, and plenty of consolation picks turn into building blocks.
Hopefully, Caleb Malhotra will give the Vancouver Canucks' front office and fans plenty to smile about, making everyone forget the awkward moment that perhaps should never have been shared on social media.
Did the Canucks settle for Caleb Malhotra after missing out on Stenberg?
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