Long before it was ever their turn to select 9th overall during the first round of last night's NHL Draft in Buffalo, the Montreal Canadiens made a splash by making two trades before the second overall pick was even announced.
The Canadiens traded Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals for their second-round picks in 2017 and 2018. Shortly thereafter, they made another trade, this one to the Chicago Blackhawks, and acquired forward Andrew Shaw in exchange for both of Montreal's second-round picks in 2016.
My initial reactions to both trades is to give them each a thumbs up. I was pleasantly surprised that Bergevin was able to acquire two seconds for Eller and not have to retain any salary. Eller has been a serviceable player in Montreal but far too inconsistent during the regular season. Washington has the potential to be a perfect fit for him as there will be little expectation for him to score and produce. I know some are upset that Bergevin traded Eller while keeping David Desharnais but in reality Eller was always going to fetch the better return. The Canadiens have an abundance of third-line centers and one of them were bound to go in the off-season. The acquisition of Phillip Danault and development of Michael McCarron likely made Eller expendable.
The Canadiens are getting another ‘pest’ with Shaw. Combined with Gallagher, the Habs will be getting under the skin of many goalies and teams come October. At 24, Shaw has already won two Stanley Cups. He knows what it takes to win and steps up his game in the playoffs recording 35 points in 67 career postseason games. Shaw is also a utility player who can play all three forward positions though he is a natural right winger. He is a top-nine forward who can fill in at a number of spots. He will have to watch his temper though and get out of the habit of taking bad penalties. His homophobic slur during the first round of this year’s playoffs has been well documented. However, he was truly remorseful for his language and actions and it truly appears that he has learned his lesson. Shaw is a restricted free agent but it sounds as though a new deal will be completed sooner rather than later, likely in the $4-$4.5 million/year range. Bergevin and Shaw's agent Pat Brisson were already seen conversing at the draft.
Back now to the actual draft, Montreal selected defenceman Mikhail Sergachev 9th overall. While it was believed the General Manager Marc Bergevin would have liked it to move up at the draft, there were no deals to be had in order to select in the top five. Instead, Bergevin let the dominoes fall and they were thrilled that Sergachev was still on the board when it was their turn to pick.
A left defenceman at 6'2" 220 lbs, Sergachev will be groomed to hopefully step into fellow countryman Andrei Markov’s skates one day in the hopefully near future. Pre-draft, this is what I wrote about him:
Sergachev had perhaps the most outstanding season of all draft eligible defencemen wining the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s best defenceman. In fact, he was the youngest recipient of the award making it an even more impressive feat and he had to overcome a language barrier with his teammates. Sergachev might just be the best blend of Juolevi and Chychrun.Of his 57 points, 31 came on the powerplay with 8 goals proving that he is an excellent quarterback. He has a big shot but even if he doesn’t score he is creating opportunities for his teammates. Sergachev is an excellent two way defenceman and a smooth skater for someone his size. He can knock an opponent down and then take the puck up the ice to start the play.
Sergachev’s favorite NHL player is Alex Ovechkin and it is easy to see why (Comments courtesy of NHL.com):
“He’s an animal on the ice, he’s big, strong, has a good shot, good hands and good head. He’s fun to watch because he’s like a bear, and I want to be a Russian bear.…
If Sergachev wants to be the Ovechkin of defence then that is a scary thought and any team would be lucky to have him…
As for defencemen though, Sergachev is trying to model his game after this year’s Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty:
Sergachev says he models his game after Drew Doughty. "He is the best. I want to be the best."
— Dan Robertson (@DRTSN690) June 25, 2016
Of note is that it appears that he was on the Canadiens radar for quite some time:
Sergachev, who turns 18 tomorrow, said he met with the #Habs twice during the season and once at the combine.
— Heather Engel (@engelheather) June 25, 2016
Other teams were also quite high on Sergachev as:
Ottawa tried to trade up to Buffalo's spot to get Sergachev. When that didn't happen, they were very happy to move up to 11 to get Brown.
— James Duthie (@tsnjamesduthie) June 25, 2016
Sergachev knows that there are areas of his game that he needs to work on in order to reach the next level:
I asked Sergachev where his game needs most work. "I need to be harder in front of the net & in the corners." Says he plays with an edge.
— Dan Robertson (@DRTSN690) June 25, 2016
All in all, I think that Sergachev was the right pick for the Canadiens at the 9th spot. Many had center Logan Brown getting picked by the Habs but if he weren’t 6’6…, would he still have been the so-called sexy pick? Brown is a playmaker but he doesn’t take advantage of his big frame. Sergachev can become a top pairing NHL defenceman and fills the depth that the Canadiens were lacking on the left side. Of the players still on the board when the Canadiens made their selection, I believe that they chose the best player available. As for the elephant in the room P.K. Subban and the non-stop trade talk, I would be shocked if P.K. is not a member of the Canadiens come July 1st. Bergevin has to listen to the other GM’s but very few teams have the assets capable of making such a trade. Every team that has won the Stanley Cup in recent memory has had a true #1 defenceman leading the way. Replacing Subban is practically an impossible task and Bergevin knows this all too well.
It will be interesting to see if Bergevin tries to get back into the second round with another move tomorrow. If not, Habs fans will be waiting awhile until the Canadiens get to pick in the third round.
Cheers & follow along! Follow @jenbcutler