What if the Montreal Canadiens had the first overall pick?

The Montreal Canadiens may have a hard time deciding who they take at 15, but given the ability of Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko, the 1st may not be any easier.

With the number of quality of scouting minds in the hockey world, fans are relatively aware of who the first overall pick is meant to be for a given draft. Unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the Montreal Canadiens haven’t been in a position to select first since 1980 when Doug Wickenheiser joined the organization. Sidney Crosby was set to go first in 2005 after years of build up as was Connor McDavid in 2015. However, sometimes it’s not as clear cut as who should be the first pick.

Think back to 2017 when heading into the season, Nolan Patrick was the guy. Injuries held him back but also the emergence of Nico Hischier pushed the hand of several, and when the New Jersey Devils walked up to the podium, his name was called.

Another example was in 2012 when everyone considered Nail Yakupov to be the player to take first. It’s well documented, but several scouts in the Edmonton Oilers organization wanted to take defenceman Ryan Murray first instead even though Yakupov had all the hype. Combine that with poor development and deployment, and you have a former first overall pick who isn’t even in the league anymore.

Now we look at this year. A year where Jack Hughes walked in as the consensus first overall pick but has had the gap between himself and Kaapo Kakko, the projected second overall pick, decreased.

The New Jersey may be giving off the impression that they’re unsure, or they could seriously be thinking of the pros between either player. Which begs the question, what if the Montreal Canadiens had the first overall pick?