Canadiens: Three Players Habs Can Pick After Wright
Unless a major surprise, Shane Wright will be drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens. But who will be picked after? Here are three possibilities.
Tristan Luneau
Tristan Luneau is an offensive minded right handed defenceman. Something the Canadiens are severely lacking in their prospects pipeline.
Luneau, who was the 1st overall pick in the 2020 QMJHL draft, finished the 2021-22 season with the Gatineau Olympiques with 12 goals and 31 points for 43 points in 63 games, ranking him 7th on the team in scoring. Often flanked to the left by the Pittsburgh Penguins 2021 5th round pick in Isaac Beliveau, the pair were a hard bargain to deal with.
While there are chances the Canadiens can draft him with Calgary’s pick, it’s all going to depend on how the early stages of the draft develops. Luneau is ranked anywhere from 21st to 55th according to various prospect rankings. While he needs a little bit of work in his skating explosiveness and all around pivot movements, Luneau is still a highly regarded prospect. Don’t be shocked to see the Canadiens try to trade up in order to nab the Trois-Rivières native.
This kid is just too good to pass up.
Ivan Miroshnichenko was at one point ranked in the top 5 of most people’s draft lists. However, last march he received the devastating news that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He is expected to miss the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
Forward Ivan Miroshnichenko has been diagnosed with serious health problems. At the moment, he is receiving medical treatment in Germany and might miss the entirety of next season.
— Russia Hockey (@russiahockey_en) March 3, 2022
We believe that you will overcome this illness and return to the ice! pic.twitter.com/rak9PVcVNY
For obvious reasons, his draft rankings dipped. It’s now unknown where the Russian will land, but there is a team out there that will take a chance on him. This is a wild card pick, but it sure can pay dividends in the long run. This is a risk the Canadiens have got to take.
The left winger hits like a tank, skates like a roadrunner and leaves a trail of smoke behind the puck when he shoots. More than once he has shown shades of Alexander Ovechkin. If he manages to fully recover, he will be a menace in the NHL for years to come.
The only reason Noah Warren isn’t ranked in the late first round was because he was playing behind Tristan Luneau. The 17 year old is 6’5″ and entered the past season tilting the scale at 214 pounds.
The St-Jean-sur-Richelieu native is your prototypical stay at home defenceman. His offensive game is erratic although he can make the occasional pinch. He generates great lane coverage and isn’t afraid of throwing his weight around. He can dish out explosive body checks as well as intelligent hip checks that can just as easily slow the opponent down.
This isn’t the kind of guy that you give the puck to. While he’s good enough to dish a pass and has displayed much improvement when protecting the puck, this is the guy you want killing your penalties and facing some of your opponents’ best lines. Like most big men defenceman, he has some work to do on his speed but it’s not at a level that needs to be worried about.
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