The Montreal Canadiens are in an enviable position when it comes to the 2022 NHL Draft. They are hosting that draft and also hold the first overall selection thanks to a draft lottery win last month.
Well, it has a lot to do with the awful 2021-22 season really, but there was a little lottery luck involved in landing the top pick as well. While that’s a great place to be as the draft approaches, it appears the team isn’t content to just draft 1st overall.
According to Bruce Garrioch, who covers the Ottawa Senators and the NHL for The Ottawa Sun and also does work for TSN, the Canadiens are looking to add another top ten pick.
In fact, he claims the Canadiens have already called all the other teams that have a top ten pick and are trying to make a big splash by adding a second pick in that range. It appears that Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is casting a wide net in an attempt to land another prime pick.
As I reported today, led to believe the #GoHabsGo have called every team in the top 10 because they want to make a splash with a second pick in that area.
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) June 30, 2022
It would make quite the splash indeed, if the Canadiens announce on the draft floor that they have added another top pick with a big trade. Fans in attendance are certain to be excited with the Canadiens selecting first overall, but if the team can somehow come away with two of the top ten prospects from this draft class, the roof just might come flying off the Bell Centre.
Of course, it is one thing to be calling around looking to make a deal, and actually pulling one off. But it is interesting to see that the Canadiens are trying to make a big move. They already have a second pick in the first round, but it is not until 26th overall. They may be looking to package that with a player or more picks to move up and really fire up the fans in attendance.
As if the first round of the NHL Draft wasn’t going to be exciting enough, now we know the Canadiens are being aggressive and looking to make a big splash to add another early selection. The first round of the NHL Draft is on July 7th.
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