Montreal Canadiens: TSN Mock Draft Has Great Result For Habs

The Montreal Canadiens enter the 2023 NHL Draft in an interesting spot. They had a tough year, so they landed near the bottom of the standings and will have the 5th overall pick when the draft kicks off next week.

What makes the fifth pick an interesting one is it appears the top four is pretty much set. Nothing at all is even set in stone at an NHL Draft, aside from the Chicago Blackhawks taking Connor Bedard first overall, but the top four seems like an obvious tier this year.

That group would include Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and Will Smith along with Bedard. All four of them are centers and they all have the potential to be first line talents in the NHL in the future. That’s why most pundits have them all gone before the Canadiens get a chance to pick at fifth overall.

What makes the fifth overall pick really interesting is the fact Matvei Michkov is also available. He is signed for three more years in the KHL, but if the Russian winger were from any other country, he would be the obvious pick to get second or possibly third overall at the latest. So, he has the skill to be a top pick, but his contract status seems to be scaring off plenty of teams.

The Canadiens could have a difficult decision to make at five if the four centers go off the board as expected. Take the highly skilled Russian you know you won’t see for three years or take the next best player on the board? At that point in the draft, you are probably waiting two years for the next guy anyone so why not wait an extra year and get a better player?

That’s the conundrum facing the Canadiens in one scenario. TSN’s scout Craig Button who is a former Stanley Cup winning general manager of the Dallas Stars, ran his annual mock draft earlier today. He sees an easy choice for the Canadiens.

Obviously he had Bedard going first overall to the Blackhawks. Then, he has Adam Fantilli going second to the Anaheim Ducks, Leo Carlsson going next to the Columbus Blue Jackets which is pretty much what everyone expects to see.

However, Button has the San Jose Sharks taking Michkov fourth overall. This would mean the Canadiens have an easy decision to select Smith, who was actually coached by Kent Hughes in his younger years.

Smith is an incredibly skilled center who scored 51 goals and 127 points with the U.S. Development Team this season. That would be a pretty good scenario for the Canadiens. Smith is heading to college hockey next season and could sign and become an NHL player as early as next March. Or, he could need a pair of NCAA seasons to prepare for the next level, but he would not take long to step into the Canadiens lineup.

With the 31st overall pick, Button has the Canadiens selecting Anton Wahlberg. He is a big forward who scored 14 goals and 27 points in 32 games in Sweden’s Junior league.

The Canadiens will have a tough choice at fifth overall if the four centers are already gone at that time. However, if Michkov slips into the top four, which his skill would suggest he should, then the Canadiens will have an easy decision with their pick.

The NHL Draft begins on Wednesday, June 28th with the first round and the remainder of the seven round event takes place the following afternoon.

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