The Montreal Canadiens, like 29 other NHL teams, are already focused on the NHL Draft and offseason that is ahead of them. While the Florida Panthers battle the Vegas Golden Knights for the 2023 Stanley Cup, everyone else is gearing up for future championship runs.
That all starts at the NHL Draft where the next wave of talent enters the league. Many recent championship teams were built through the draft and the Canadiens are trying to climb out of the bottom of the standings by building a strong team through the draft.
That all starts at the draft combine, where teams have a chance to meet players and have their physical skills tested through a plethora of strength and endurance assessments. The top 106 prospects eligible for this year’s draft are in attendance from June 4-10 at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. They take part in physical and medical testing as well as the somewhat infamous interview phase.
According to one of the team’s former scouts, Grant McCagg, the Canadiens are earning a reputation as a tough interview for the players.
I got an interesting text this morning from Buffalo:
— Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) June 7, 2023
"Montreal is developing a reputation here at the combine as the toughest interview for players and going well over the time allotment."
Good thing Cole is signed.😉
NHL teams really don’t have a lot of opportunity to meet with prospects and get to know them. The Arizona Coyotes had to forfeit their 2nd round pick in 2020 and first round pick in 2021 because they brought players in for physical testing before the draft combine.
So, when the draft combine comes along, it makes sense for teams to cast a wide net and spend as much time with potential draft picks as possible. They really have no other chance to actually speak with and get to know these players on a personal level before the NHL Draft.
With such limited accessibility, and so much on the line when it comes to draft selections, it makes sense that the Canadiens would be using every minute of the time allotted (and then some by the sounds of things) to get as much information as possible from these young players.
Playing in Montreal takes a certain amount of thick skin when it comes to the demands of the fans and pressure from playing in such a big market. It sounds like the Canadiens are putting a little pressure on the players in these lengthy interviews to gain a little insight into how they can handle it.
The Canadiens currently have the 5th overall pick in the upcoming draft and will want to get that one right. They also have a late first round pick from the Florida Panthers that will either be 31st or 32nd overall depending on if they win the Stanley Cup or not, although that pick once looked like it would be much higher. They also select 37th overall with their pick early in the second round.
Whoever they decide to select, we will know they clearly did as much homework as possible on the player’s abilities on and off the ice before making their choice.
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