Montreal Canadiens: How The 2019 NHL Draft Has Impacted Habs Roster

The 2019 NHL Entry Draft was touted as the Jack Hughes draft, and with reason. Fast forward to the summer of 2023, and it has become so much more. A gold mine for forwards and the Canadiens know a little bit about that.

At this juncture, Hughes is still very much the top player selected in the draft. However, several very important, high-impact players were selected in the first round. From Moritz Seider and Matt Boldy to Trevor Zegras and Bowen Byram, the draft had no shortage of high-potential talent.

One guy that is all too aware of the talent that was selected in the 2019 Draft is Canadiens gm, Kent Hughes. Hughes has of course been put in charge of righting the Canadiens’ ship, and thus far he has done swimmingly, given the mess Marc Bergevin left behind. Both of Hughes’ big trade acquisitions happen to have both been drafted in 2019, in Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook.

Not to be overshadowed, Cole Caufield came from the same draft, when he fell into the Habs’ laps after the Flyers opted for defenseman Cam York, instead of Caufield. While the draft featured an excess of USNTDP players, it also featured some players that could develop into legitimate stars. With that said, it’s no wonder why Hughes swung hard to bring in both Dach and Newhook.

How Will 2019 Draftees Help The Habs?

As previously mentioned the Canadiens obviously drafted Caufield, and to this point he is yet to hit his stride, although he was on a torrid pace before his should injury in 2022. Should he stay healthy, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t at the very least hit 35-40 goals, and probably roughly the same in assists. Anyway, that’s enough about Caufield, as we all know him pretty well.

Kirby Dach was acquired via trade by the Habs during the NHL Draft. Dach had shown spurts of potential, but ultimately he was dealt as the package Hughes offered was much too tempting. Fast forward to this past season, and Dach had his best season to date, and if he would have stayed healthy the entire year, he likely would have produced even more.

While the Canadiens are still rebuilding, and trying to ship out older players to be replaced by younger ones, the line combinations are up in the air. One thing is certain though, if Dach stays healthy and has consistent linemates, he could have himself an even better year. The role he is battling to fill as the number two centre is a big one, but I believe he has all the tools to take that spot and run with it.

The second trade that Hughes pulled off was just before the NHL Draft when he shipped a package that included Gianni Fairbrother (A 2019 Draft selection), and a 2023 first, and second round selection to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Alex Newhook. Bringing in Newhook goes to show the belief that Hughes has in the young forward, although he hasn’t performed to his potential this far. Hughes stated in a press conference following the trade that he believes Newhook will hit his stride in Montreal and will be given increased minutes to do so.

So, while the Habs had just one first-round selection in 2019, Hughes has researched the selections quite well and added some nice pieces to his squad. It’s still early yet, but the 2019 draft could prove to be a huge tool in the Habs rebuild. A top-six centre, a top-line sniper and a speedy playmaker, with the potential to become much more, not too bad, and Rafael Harvey Pinard was also drafted in the seventh round of the 2019 draft.

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