Montreal Canadiens: 6 Players the Canadiens Should Consider in the Later Rounds of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft

Round 3 (76, 87): Peter Reynolds, C, 5’10”, 168 lbs, St. John Sea Dogs, QMJHL.

I am all about drafting the best available player, especially when the prospect pool I’m theoretically adding to is as strong as the Habs’. This also means that names I don’t expect to fall to these slots inevitably will and I would likely prefer to some of the players I outline, but these are just guys I like a lot and I don’t particularly care with which pick the Habs would take them in the later rounds.

Peter Reynolds is a Danault-replacement of the future if his development goes well. He and the other four players I will look at did not crack Bob McKenzie’s top 100. He’s really intelligent; a dominant possession player as well as defensively and he’s extremely strong in transition, all hallmarks of Danault’s game. In the offensive zone, his bread and butter is playmaking, he is not a goalscorer by any means.

I particularly appreciated the details in his game, he does the little plays to gain and extend possession, open up and exploit passing lanes for dangerous opportunities and he knows his own limitations, opting to extend possession with a simple play rather than losing the puck. Especially in the mid-rounds of the draft, a profile that screams middle-6 shutdown centre is extremely tempting. While he is not a Danault-replacement in the short-term, as he still needs a handful of developmental years, he would be a worthwhile selection here because he’s, quite simply, a very good player.

Round 4 (113, 126, 127): Robert Orr, 5’11”, 176 lbs, C, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL.

Another QMJHL pick here, and this one’s Quebecois, from Beaconsfield on the West Island, a hometown boy, so to speak. That’s not why I’m highlighting him though, nor because of his phenomenal hockey name, he’s another centreman I see a lot of potential in if given a handful of years to fully develop. Orr is among the youngest players in the draft, only turning 18 on September 1st, giving him a whole bunch of runway to improve.

As a QMJHL rookie this season, Orr put up decent 15-17-32 totals in 41 games on a rebuilding Mooseheads team. He didn’t exactly explode offensively, but don’t be surprised if that occurs next year. Orr has decent offensive tools that should enable him to contribute, but it is his off-puck play that impressed me most. Both defensively and offensively, Orr makes good reads and is well-positioned. He can also shoulder a shutdown role. His ceiling may be higher than Reynolds’ simply due to his young development curve.