This is the sixth instalment of our Draft Decisions series, which takes an in-depth look at some of the biggest decisions facing each of the seven Canadian NHL franchises as we approach the NHL Draft on June 24.
Montreal | Ottawa | Toronto | Winnipeg | Calgary | Edmonton | Vancouver
The NHL’s Draft Lottery on April 30 marked the culmination of a miserable year for the Montreal Canadiens.
They started out as contenders, setting a franchise record with nine straight wins out of the gate. What followed was an unmitigated disaster, kick-started by what was initially thought to be a minor injury to reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy-winner Carey Price’s knee.
During Price’s seemingly interminable recovery—he was close but never made it back to the active roster—the Canadiens, who ranked first in the NHL standings on Dec. 1, plummeted to 22nd overall by season’s end.
The faint hope general manager Marc Bergevin held that something good could come of the lost season was extinguished when the lottery balls fell as they did in April, keeping the Canadiens out of the top three positions for this year’s draft.
If all goes as planned, eight players will be selected in Buffalo this Friday before Bergevin and his brain trust take to the podium.
But Bergevin might flip the script. Here’s a look at some of his options.
1. Trade up for the fourth overall pick.
The incentive for Montreal to make this move is unquestionable. The Canadiens are desperate for some immediate scoring help and the players projected to be available at No. 4 are more likely to provide it than the ones who will be available in the ninth slot.
Left winger Matthew Tkachuk is a compelling option, as his game offers a rare blend of power and finesse.
But it’s hard to imagine Tkachuk could match the appeal of 6-foot-2 centre Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was born 45 minutes north of Montreal.
Dubois torched the QMJHL with 42 goals and 99 points in 62 games this season, plowing his way up to the top of NHL Central Scouting’s North American prospect rankings.
The Canadiens added one prolific centre (Alex Galchenyuk) with the third overall pick in 2012. Adding Dubois with the fourth pick in 2016 would give them more depth at the position than they’ve had in over 20 years.
Whether or not Bergevin has the goods to entice Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli to make the trade is an entirely different story. His package would have to start with budding defenceman Nathan Beaulieu, and it would almost certainly have to include another considerable asset or two.
Beaulieu, who was drafted 17th overall in 2011, has the potential to be a top-pairing defenceman. His acquisition would enable the Oilers to address their most pressing need.
Our take: We’d love to be a fly on the wall for the conversation that would get this deal done. Depending on whether or not the ancillary pieces Bergevin would be willing to include would be roster players or prospects, it could get really wild. But it falls apart for Chiarelli without Beaulieu, and considering Montreal’s lack of NHL-ready depth on defence it’s hard to imagine this scenario plays out.
2. Keep the pick and take the best player available.
It’s been the philosophy of the organization since Trevor Timmins took the helm of the amateur scouting department in 2002. They strayed from it in 2013, going off the board to take 6-foot-6, 225-pound centre Michael McCarron 25th overall, hoping to address a need they’ve had at the position for a generation.
Timmins and Bergevin might be tempted to draft by need again, and selecting Logan Brown, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound centre for the Windsor Spitfires, would hardly be considered a questionable choice.
But Tyson Jost and Clayton Keller, two shifty, play-making, point-producing centres, may prove to be more suited to the speed of today’s NHL than Brown is.
And one of the top defensive prospects—Jake Bean, Jakob Chychrun, Mikhail Sergachev and Charlie McAvoy—might be deemed by Bergevin and Timmins to be the best player available at No. 9.
Our take: The sexy pick is Brown. He’s a man-child who possesses a boatload of talent. We’re betting on this scenario shaking out on Friday.
3. Package the pick for No. 20 and Martin Hanzal, then pick Julien Gauthier
That’s right. We’re making a bold suggestion because there’s going to be some whacky stuff happening on the draft floor and this is a faint — but plausible — scenario.
Arizona Coyotes centre Martin Hanzal is in the final year of his contract, and his name has surfaced in recent trade rumours.
“I talked to his representatives about his no-trade list, but that’s going to be our standard procedure going forward,” said Coyotes GM John Chayka on June 14. “I don’t want it to be seen as a leverage point or a bargaining chip. It’s just to say ‘let’s get it out in the open so we all know our options.’”
Our take: Hanzal’s $3.1-million cap hit is well under what he’ll fetch on the open market as an unrestricted free agent next summer, and re-signing him ahead of the draft will prove exorbitant for the Coyotes. If they’re to package him with No. 20 and another one of their picks, they could obtain a great return in Montreal’s first-round pick and two-way centre Lars Eller, who’s on the cap for $3.5 million for each of the next two seasons.
Then with the 20th pick, the Canadiens take Julien Gauthier, who’s a homegrown talent and a reputed workhorse.
