As previously mentioned, there were a handful of firsts that occurred this season, and by definition, generally younger players are more likely to hit a first milestone like that. Jordan Harris is 21, as is Cole Caufield.
The future is bright, and it will be getting a lot brighter this offseason.
We still aren’t 100% sure what this offseason will bring. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have expressed interest in going big game hunting in the offseason for a big name free agent, which points away from a rebuild.
But every move at the trade deadline pointed towards a rebuild. Almost every older player with value was moved. Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot and Artturi Lehkonen all received very good returns, while veterans like Joel Armia and Jeff Petry, who struggled immensely and had their stocks plummet, were kept to try to add some value to their names.
But the big price is Montreal’s and Montreal’s alone.
The first round pick.
Montreal has the best odds for winning the draft lottery, and even if the Canadiens lose the lottery to Arizona or Seattle, the Canadiens will still be getting a fantastic young player to jump start their rebuild.
The defensive prospects seem to be there for the Habs, although they might be lacking that true #1 defenseman, which is good because the big names in this draft are all forwards. There is a gap between Nick Suzuki and the other young centres, like Jake Evans and Ryan Poehling, a gap that could be filled by a Shane Wright or Logan Cooley or Matthew Savoie.
Unfortunately a big hole in the Canadiens lineup is a first line winger to play with Suzuki and Caufield, and there isn’t a de-facto top winger available in the draft, but maybe that will be filled in free agency.
The fact remains that the Montreal Canadiens will be better next year. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki will take another step forward. A high draft pick will make an immediate impact. The future is bright. I am just glad I was there to see the first step.
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