Montreal Canadiens Three Options With the First Overall Pick

The Montreal Canadiens entered the NHL Draft Lottery with the best chance of winning the first overall pick. Though it was far more likely that they drop to third overall, they were fortunate to come out with the top selection.

Even as the team with the worst record in the regular season, the Canadiens had just a 25.5% chance of ending up with the first overall pick and a more than 50% chance of landing at number three.

When Bill Daly flipped that card with the #1 on the back and it had the Canadiens logo on the front, it was terrific therapy for all Habs fans who suffered through an awful season that included just eight wins in the first 45 games and a late season nine game losing streak after some hope was breathed into the lineup by Martin St. Louis.

By the end of the season, they had clinched the worst record in hockey. But the greatest possible silver lining to a bad season is a top draft pick. The Canadiens secured the first overall pick by virtue of the correct ping pong balls bouncing around.

Now, they have to decide what to do with it. Not only, should they keep the pick and draft someone, but who should they take?

There are several different options the Canadiens could take here, so let’s break down the there most likely.

Trade for a recent 1st overall pick

Admittedly, this is the least likely scenario of the three laid out here, but it is far from an impossibility. Teams rarely trade the first overall pick. The last time it happened was back in 2003 when the Pittsburgh Penguins traded up from third to first with the Florida Panthers.

So, it is unlikely, and if it were to happen it would probably be the Arizona Coyotes offering the third overall pick and another prized pick or prospect. Or, maybe another team could step up with a prized prospect that opens the Habs eyes.

Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is part of a management group that includes Jeff Gorton at the top. Gorton was previously the general manager of the New York Rangers who recently had a first overall pick of his own. He selected Alexis Lafreniere with that pick.

Lafreniere was the first overall pick in 2020 but hasn’t broken out at the NHL level just yet. He has plenty of skill and speed and offensive instincts, but scored just 19 goals and 31 points in 79 games this season, his second in the league. He had 12 goals and 21 points in 56 games as a rookie.

But, the Canadiens could use a young, skilled left winger to form a tremendous trio with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. The Rangers could use a centre like Shane Wright if they are going to lose Ryan Strome this offseason. There is a fit, but that’s a lot of risk taken by the Canadiens. The Rangers would have to offer something else significant with Lafreniere to get the Habs to bite.

It becomes hard to work something out that makes sense for both teams. The Habs would want another top prospect thrown in, but that would likely make it too rich for the Rangers. Again, it is admittedly unlikely, especially since the first overall pick hasn’t been moved in 19 years, but a Lafreniere for Wright deal could possibly get done.

Draft Shane Wright

The most likely choice for the Canadiens is to draft Shane Wright. An argument could be made that Slafkovsky fits perfect with Suzuki and Caufield. Or that Nemec rounds out a great group of prospect defenders, or Cooley’s speed fits better.

But Shane Wright is the best player available in this draft and should be the first overall pick. He has proven for years that he is the top prospect available this year and has dealt with a much brighter spotlight than anyone else in this draft.

And he has been terrific. He wrapped up his OHL season with 32 goals and 94 points in 63 games played. He has a very intelligent player, he can snipe, he can set up plays, wins face-offs and battles and he is as good defensively as he is offensively.

Wright got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but due to the pandemic, he didn’t play a game in the 2020-21 season. He did show up at the World Under-18 tournament and scored nine goals and 14 points in five games.

He got rolling at an elite level for the second half of the OHL season, and proved he is the best player available. The most likely scenario here is that the Canadiens do not overthink this, and they simply take the best player available to them and that is Shane Wright.

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