Scouts have pegged the 2020 NHL Draft as a deep one and if that’s the case, the Montreal Canadiens need to ensure they have more picks in the top 60.
The 2015 NHL Draft was a special one. Not only was it the emergence of generational talent Connor McDavid, but it was deemed one of the deepest drafts since 2003. The first round was loaded with stars including Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen while almost Montreal Canadiens centre Sebastian Aho was taken in the second round. In total, 45.5% of all drafted players that year saw time in the NHL up from the 42.9% that made it from 2014.
The upcoming draft may have a similar flair as scouts are raving about how deep it will be for organizations looking for talent. At the top of the order is Alexis Lafreniere while Quinton Byfield has first overall ability. But it’s not only the first round scouts are focusing on, which makes this year a great time to have a lot of draft picks.
Take the Ottawa Senators for example. They “picked” the best time to be bad when they did as they have three picks in the first round and four in the second. And again, based on the perception of the draft, there’s a good chance each of those selections will be hits.
The Montreal Canadiens have 14 picks in total:
- First Round: 1
- Second Round: 3
- Third Round: 2
- Fourth Round: 3
- Fifth Round: 2
- Sixth Round: 1
- Seventh Round: 2
That’s a great amount, but the Habs have to capitalize on the deepness of this draft and get more picks in the top 60.
They’ve gone into each of the last two events with a number of selections and have traded down to get more picks. It’s a good strategy if a targetted player is expected to fall later on in the draft but this should be the year the Montreal Canadiens trade up.
Players such as left-handed defencemen Lukas Cormier and Joni Jurmo are decent talents projected to fall in the third round and there are more like them available. The question is: how do they do it?
The easiest thing to do would be package lower picks to move up. Depending on how the boards are looking, two fourths or a fourth or a fifth may be good enough to move into the third round. Keep in mind the Montreal Canadiens will have the ninth pick in each round after the first.
Another way could kill two burns with one stone. Perhaps the Habs attach a pick with a player they want to move on from. Jordan Weal or Antoine Waked, a prospect the Canadiens may choose to leave unqualified in the offseason, may fit the bill in that operation.
Knowing how on top Trevor Timmins in on the draft, he and Marc Bergevin surely have a plan and know if its possible to obtain those targets. Deals on draft day may be difficult this year, especially if its a virtual draft, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Montreal Canadiens can find ways to put themselves in the best position to obtain the deep talent of the 2020 NHL Draft.