The one positive to take from the Montreal Canadiens missing the playoffs this past season is that they will be drafting in the top ten for the first time since Alex Galchenyuk was taken 3rd overall in 2012. Fans were holding their breath for the slight possibility of the Canadiens moving up on when the selection lottery draft took place but the team stood still at #9. It could have been worse, Montreal could have actually fallen out of the top ten had the teams behind them fared better that night.
The 9th slot puts the Canadiens in a very good position to draft an excellent player with the potential to make an impact within a couple of years. Outside of Auston Matthews and Patrick Laine, the chances of any other draft picks playing in the 2016-2017 season are quite slim although usually someone tends to surprise in training camp. So what will the Canadiens do with their draft pick?
Option 1)
In the most recent Elliotte Friedman’s 30 Thoughts Piece he commented that:
“5. Another team testing the possibility of moving up: Montreal. The Canadiens pick ninth.…
This could only mean that the Canadiens would dearly love to acquire one of the top forwards that are in the next group after Matthews and Laine. These players include Jesse Puljujarvi, Matthew Tkachuk and Pierre-Luc Dubois. To acquire one of these players the Canadiens have to vault themselves into the top 5. However, doing so is easier said than done. The Canadiens prospect cupboard is bare and they would likely have to give up a Michael McCarron or Nikita Scherbak, a roster player and draft picks to get it. I’m just not sure if GM Marc Bergevin has enough tools at his disposal to realistically acquire a top 5 pick in this year’s draft.
Another possibility is trading up to the 6 or 7 spot to draft the next tier of forwards such as Logan Brown and Alexander Nylander. Calgary and Arizona are rumoured to be after defencemen and they could likely get one of the top 3 D such as Olli Juolevi, Mikhail Sergachev or Jakob Chychrun at the 9th spot. Trading down just a couple of spots likely won’t cost that much extra and the Canadiens have two 2nd round draft picks this year and in 2018 to play with.
Option 2)
The Canadiens stand pat at number 9. This is the most likely scenario that will happen on June 24th. Bergevin will be unable to move up and he and Trevor Timmins will let the dominos fall. Perhaps Brown or Nylander falls down to them, or they can grab one of the 3 D which would fill a void in terms of defensive depth. The Canadiens could also draft one of Clayton Keller, Tyson Jost or Mike McLeod who have each been ranked in the top ten according to various drafts. While fans might be disappointed if the Canadiens do not trade up, rest assured that they will still be able to draft a quality player at 9.
Option 3)
Trading down. Some teams may fall in love with a certain player and offer the Canadiens a very good package in return. Could the Canadiens get an impactful roster player? Move down but still stay in the top 15? Those would be the only ways that the Canadiens should drop down as they need to take advantage of their draft positions to fill organizational needs.
Next up, an in depth look at potential 1st round picks.
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