The conspiracy theorists (myself included) have been slayed and the Arizona Coyotes are picking third overall. Unless an absolute turn of events, the Montreal Canadiens will be stepping at the podium in front of a fired up Bell Center crowd and announce Shane Wright as their 2022 1st overall draft pick.
It’s going to be a party, no doubt.
The logic would dictate that Wright will be drafted first overall by Montreal and start the season with the big club next season. Because of his exceptional status in the OHL, he’s already completed two years in the juniors and would be too young to play in the AHL under league regulations.
The team will likely hold the usual 10 game audition which is the limit a rookie can play in the NHL before being sent back to his junior team. Unless Wright completely flops to start the season, Martin St. Louis will likely start the 18 year old slow as a bottom 6 centerman.
That being said, as much as we’re all excited to see what a middle line consisting of Nick Suzuki, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans and Wright could bring to the table, there are some rumors that the Canadiens might consider trading the first overall pick if team’s are offering a king’s ransom.
Kent Hughes on potentially listening to offers for No. 1: "I find in life, you're always better off listening to everyone. But it hasn't been discussed yet with Jeff, John and our scouts. We'll listen if we get calls, but we're not planning on trading."
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) May 10, 2022
However unlikely, here are three persistent rumors involving the Canadiens and their coveted first overall pick.