Montreal Canadiens: Just How High Can Habs Second First Round Pick Become?

How can Habs pull it off?

This is the only possible way the Canadiens can find themselves getting into a top ten pick. They need to identify two roster players, a forward and a defenceman that can help another team. They also need to take back a lot of bad money to balance out the cap hits in the deal.

Ekman-Larsson was seen by the Canucks as a bounce back candidate and a potential top pairing guy. Garland scored 12 goals and 39 points in 49 games in his final season with the Coyotes before the trade. The Canadiens need to find a team desperate enough to move out bad money that they are interested in taking on a couple of hefty contracts as well.

The most difficult part is finding a team that thinks they can win in 2022-23 and has a top ten pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Maybe that description matches the New Jersey Devils, but no one is trading the second overall pick. Arizona, Seattle and Columbus have no reason to believe they can compete soon so scratch out third, fourth and sixth overall.

The 7th, 8th and 9th picks are owned by the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres who are all division rivals of the Habs. Finding a trade inside the division is difficult to pull off. That Anaheim Ducks own the 10th overall pick and they have taken a patient approach and likely continue to do so.

That leaves the 5th overall pick which is owned by the Philadelphia Flyers. They just hired John Tortorella so maybe they are crazy enough to think they are on the verge of competing with the right moves? If anyone inside the top ten is going to be bold (insane?) enough to think trading their pick is the right call, it will be the Philadelphia Flyers.