If the opportunity is there, the Montreal Canadiens must draft Marco Rossi

The only “knock” some would say is his size. Rossie stands at 5’9″ and 187 pounds, but like many outbreaking talent, he doesn’t play that way. He still throws hits, and as I mentioned earlier, his size doesn’t matter when he’s down low fighting for possession of the puck.

Think of Alex DeBrincat who was a destroyer in the OHL putting up 50 goals three seasons in a row with the Erie Otters. His size was a concern as well but DeBrincat proved he could excel anyway becoming a top scorer on the Chicago Blackhawks including a 41-goal season.

To wrap everything together, the OHL decided to name Rossi, the league’s most outstanding player receiving the Albert Tilson Award.

After receiving the award, Rossi had this to say:

"I would like to acknowledge the great Mr. Albert Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II, a true hero. In these unprecedented COVID-19 times, I honour the men and women, doctors and nurses and all of those putting their lives on the line for all of us through this great globe, true heroes in Mr. Tilson’s footsteps."

The Montreal Canadiens have never been an organization to shy away from smaller-framed players. At the same time, character is something Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmins make a note of in their analysis of young talent. And even if it wasn’t perfect, Marco Rossi is the real deal.

He creates every time he’s on the ice. He competes and fights for his time either getting chances for himself or generating them for his linemates. Rossi is the kind of talent the Montreal Canadiens need in the organization, and if there is an opportunity to draft him, they should be all over it.

The bittersweet symphony of this discussion is where Rossi is ranked. For the most part, he’s expected to fall in the top-five at either fourth or fifth overall. The Habs would need to get lucky and move up three spots to draft him or cross their fingers that teams overlook Rossi’s size and let him drop, similar to what happened with Caufield.

Again, there are still names available. If he gets picked up, there are scorers such as Cole Perfetti who finished second in OHL scoring behind Rossi with 37 goals and 74 assists for 111 points in 61 games. The Habs will hit big in the upcoming draft, that is, if they don’t go far in the playoffs (a discussion for another time).

Marco Rossi is the kind of player the Montreal Canadiens need. Elite speed in combination with elite hockey IQ and production, and you can never have enough of that in an organization.