Montreal Canadiens: Ranking Past 10 First Overall NHL Draft Picks

6. Rasmus Dahlin

The Montreal Canadiens just missed out on Rasmus Dahlin and had to settle for Jesperi Kotkaniemi with the third overall pick in 2018. Dahlin was heralded as a terrific defence prospect who could soon become a Norris Trophy winner.

He stepped into the NHL as a rookie and scored 44 points in 82 games. He followed that up with 40 points in just 59 games, but then his production dropped to 23 points in 56 games in 2020-21. He just set career highs with 13 goals and 53 points this season, doing so in 80 games.

There is no question Dahlin has tremendous offensive potential. He just turned 22 years old near the end of this season and already has scored 160 career points at the NHL level. That kind of production is pretty much unheard of for defencemen at the highest level.

The Swedish blue liner is an amazing skater, fantastic passer, has a great shot from the point and though he is still working on his defensive game, he is already a steady defender in the NHL. With more time, he is just going to continue looking better and better as he improves his all-around game.

It is hard to compare Wright to a defenceman like Dahlin, but again, another team got a phenomenal player with the first overall pick in 2018 and they will reap the benefits as he matures and they build a better squad around him.