The Montreal Canadiens are going to have plenty of solid options in the first round. Seth Jarvis would check a lot of boxes for them.
The Montreal Canadiens have built up a solid group of prospects in the past few years. They have added several draft picks the past two drafts and targeted areas of need each year. They drafted a slew of centres when there was a dearth of them in the organization and then last year they added a number of left defenceman into the fold.
Centre and left defence were definitely the two biggest areas of need, but not anymore. Having young centres Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling and Jake Evans takes care of that pretty quick.
The left side of the defence has been lacking lately and it has forced general manager Marc Bergevin to patch up the position with free agent signings. The Canadiens drafted Alexander Romanov, Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble and Mattias Norlinder in the last two years to clear that up.
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Now, there biggest need in on the wings. The Canadiens top prospects include a handful of defenders, a few centres and a great young goaltender in Cayden Primeau. The only wingers that have a high likelihood of being future NHL top nine fixtures are Cole Caufield and Jesse Ylonen.
So, if the Canadiens are going to add a player that fills a need with the 16th overall pick in the first round, they will be looking for a winger.
One player who is likely to be available and could fill that hole is Seth Jarvis.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba native is ranked in the middle of the first round by most draft pundits. The reason for that ranking is his tremendous offensive skill and ability to put pucks in the net. He is a shifty skater who fools defenders by making it look like he is heading in one direction, but a quick burst of a speed and a slight change of direction opens up space for the young sniper.
It led to an unbelievable offensive season in the WHL for the 18 year old. He scored 42 goals and 98 points 58 games. This was a huge leap forward from his 16 goals and 39 points in 61 games a year earlier.
To put Jarvis draft eligible season into context, he scored eight more goals and had six more assists for 14 more points than Dylan Cozens had in his draft year. And he did it in ten less games than Cozens played. A year ago, the Buffalo Sabres were happy to take Cozens with the 7th overall pick. Even though he is a year older than Jarvis, Cozens scored 13 less points in seven less games than the draft eligible winger in the WHL this season.
Jarvis isn’t huge at 5’10” and 172 pounds, and that is why he isn’t ranked in the top ten. But what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in skill and shooting. Just take a look at a few highlights for yourself.
Jarvis has played well in tournaments as well. He suited up at the Ivan Hlinka last summer and scored two goals and two assists in five games. He played at the World Under-17 tournament the year prior and led his team in scoring with five points in six games.
While his ability to put the puck in the net is what makes him most attractive as a prospect, Jarvis can set up a teammate for a goal as well as he can pull the trigger himself. He was third in the WHL in goals scored, fifth in assists and second in points.
Jarvis will be back in Portland with the Winterhawks for another season in 2020-21. He has all the tools and skills to lead the league in scoring in the upcoming season and will be looking to take his talents to the pro level in 2021-22.
By that time, the Canadiens will hopefully be featuring Cole Caufield and Jesse Ylonen among their forward group. Brendan Gallagher needs a new contract but he will probably be in town as well.
That doesn’t mean the Habs shouldn’t target a right winger with the 16th overall pick. If the Canadiens are fortunate enough that all of their prospects pan out, Jarvis will be an invaluable piece that will carve out a role for himself with other skilled players in the top six.
There will be a number of great prospects available for the Canadiens with the 16th overall selection. None of them, aside from Jarvis, would be able to say they scored more than 40 goals and 50 assists in the CHL last season. His skill is tantalizing. That is something Marc Bergevin should be gambling on.
Enough “safe” picks, let’s hope the Habs are willing to take a super skilled player like Seth Jarvis with their first round pick.