The Canucks' draft lottery curse that began with the franchise's first day

Caleb Malhotra went third overall to the Canucks, who have waited 56 years to pick first.

Vancouver has never made the first selection at an NHL draft, and the bad luck goes back to the franchise's very first day.

In 1970, the Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres joined the league as expansion teams, and a roulette wheel decided the first overall pick. For a brief moment, it looked like the wheel had landed on Vancouver's number. It hadn't.

The number belonged to Buffalo, which took Gilbert Perreault, a future Hall of Famer who became the face of the Sabres for 17 seasons. Vancouver settled for defenseman Dale Tallon at second overall.

Perreault finished with 1326 points in 1191 games. Tallon had 336 points in 642.

Last spring was supposed to be different. After finishing last in the league at 25-49-8, Vancouver had a 25.5 per cent chance of landing the first pick, and it sent Daniel and Henrik Sedin to the lottery as good-luck charms. They are the same twins the Canucks landed at second and third overall in 1999.

It didn't matter. The Canucks lost both draws and fell to third, the seventh lottery the franchise has lost.

For many fans, it stung more because Toronto won. The Leafs took Gavin McKenna first overall, with Justin Bieber announcing the pick.

Vancouver made the most of its spot with Brantford Bulldogs centre Caleb Malhotra, the son of head coach Manny Malhotra. We covered Manny Malhotra's answer to Canucks fans after Monday's loss to the Flyers.

Will this season finally break the streak?

Check the standings and the answer looks closer than it has in years. Twenty games in, Vancouver is 3-16-1 with seven points, and it has lost six straight. The goal differential sits at -34.

The Sedins now run the club as co-presidents, the rebuild is in full swing, and another trip to the lottery seems likely.

A team that is 1-9-0 over its last 10 is doing its share of the work. The ping-pong balls are the one part of the plan the Canucks have never controlled, and in 2026 they still lost both draws.

The Canucks play the Rangers on Friday, with the skid hanging over every game between now and the next lottery.

Quick hits

LOS ANGELES KINGS: Drew Doughty appears to have avoided injury after a scare late in the Kings' loss to Nashville, according to Andrew Knoll. Kings fans can exhale for now.

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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Jim Hiller didn't dodge it after the 6-3 loss to the Avalanche on Tuesday night. The team's record is deserved, he said. At least he said it plainly.

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ST. LOUIS BLUES: Jeremy Rutherford flagged a big scrum at the final horn of the Blues' 3-2 win over the Red Wings, and goalie Joel Hofer came over to get involved.

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COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Rick Bowness says the Blue Jackets are "squeezing their sticks" after Tuesday night's 4-1 loss to the Panthers. Anyone who has watched a cold streak knows the feeling.

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MONTREAL CANADIENS: Martin St-Louis and Josh Anderson both pushed back after the 2-1 overtime loss to the Wild, and neither held much back on the late slashing call against Caufield.

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This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.

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