Who Will the Montreal Canadiens Select in the First Round?

This second tier of players who the Montreal Canadiens’ brass may be tempted to select ninth overall consists of players who will likely still be available, barring a team in the top 8 taking a reach or drafting for a position of need. The first player we’ll cover is a really interesting one, who has drawn comparisons to the Canadiens’ own Jesperi Kotkaniemi, which I broke down and analyzed in an article last month.

"Lundell has, over the past two seasons, accumulated 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points through 82 professional games as a 17 and 18-year-old, not bad at all. This means that he tallied  0.573 PPG in two Liiga seasons, while Kotkaniemi put up 0.509 in just one season. I am not trying to argue that Lundell has a higher ceiling offensively than Kotkaniemi, or vice-versa. My argument is that the offensive side of Lundell’s game has been underappreciated and that his portrayal as a player who can rise no higher than a second-line player in the NHL is unfair."

As my article and this particular excerpt make fairly clear, I like Anton Lundell a lot as a prospect, not necessarily for the Montreal Canadiens – though I’d gladly add him to the team’s ever-growing prospect pool – but any team with the wish to add a prospect with the potential to become a Phillip Danault or maybe even a Ryan O’Reilly should take a shot on this particular Finn.

While the Canadiens have collected quite a few very good young centres (Domi, Kotkaniemi, Suzuki) on top of those who project to make the roster in the upcoming years such as Cam Hillis, Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans (who may very well cement his spot in the lineup during the play-in), centres are valuable assets and teams should never shy away from adding another good piece at the position if the opportunity presents itself. And don’t be mistaken, Anton Lundell is a good piece.

Lundell’s defensive capabilities have been widely advertised, and they truly are impressive. Among the approximately 25 top forward draft-eligible prospects I have kept my eye on over the past season (those who I have watched at least 3 full games of), Lundell was, without a doubt, the calmest and most consistent defensive performer, and this while playing against men. While many wish to see dazzling offensive plays from forwards projected to be selected among the top 15 of any NHL draft, adding a defensive specialist centreman to a lineup can pay off in a big way.

One example of this that came to the attention of many younger hockey fans for the first time this past season (myself included) is that of Guy Carbonneau in the 1992-93 Stanley Cup run due to his induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He only potted 3 goals and 3 assists in 20 games on that particular run but played a key role in shutting down the opposition’s top players, including a certain Wayne Gretzky.

Of course, it would be irrational to go out and proclaim Lundell as the next Carbonneau when the kid can’t even legally buy a drink in Ontario yet, but writing him off as a potentially great player due to a lower offensive upside compared to other talents available in this draft would not be wise.

And this limited offensive upside isn’t even all that limited. Sure, he may not be a point per game player at his peak, but neither is Ryan O’Reilly. Lundell was the top U18 point producer in Liiga this past season by a decent margin, and this is not spoken of enough, this kid could possibly develop into a 65-point 2-way beast, and when picking at or around tenth overall, that is some pretty nice upside.