Montreal Canadiens: The 2020 NHL Draft Was Kind To The Habs

Blake Biondi, Jack Smith & Alexander Gordin

Blake Biondi has spent his time in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota-Duluth since the Habs selected him. He hasn’t exactly exploded in the college ranks, and his dominant play in High School hasn’t translated. Biondi was a late pick that Trevor Timmins was high on, and he believed that Biondi would be a sniper, that could play both forward positions.

The jury is still out on that, and Hughes and co. will keep a keen eye on his upcoming season. This will be his final year of college hockey, so an uptick in production will be welcomed. Should Biondi prove able to use his shot as a threat more often, and carve out a stronger offensive game, he could have top-nine potential.

Jack Smith is an undersized center at 5’11” and he was drafted with the hopes that his playmaking ability would grow, and he would end up a solid producer. He was limited to just 10 games in his draft-plus-one season and his rookie campaign in the NCAA showed he could stay healthy. He played 24 games, but he only managed four assists, so right now he has yet to get back to the level he was playing at in High School.

Smith will play his sophomore season alongside Blake Biondi at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. And much like Biondi, he would benefit greatly should he grow his playmaking skills and round out his game. He projects as a fourth-line player at this juncture, but every spot on an NHL roster is important.

Alexander Gordin was drafted on the premise that he was a goalscorer, whose dynamite shot was what put him on the Habs’ radar. Gordin has failed to stick at the KHL level, and at 22 years old time is running out for him, he could benefit greatly and put himself in the conversation for a spot in the Habs fold, with Laval. He has been solid at the MHL and VHL, and he is slated to start the 2023 season in the VHL with Ryazan-VDV, but his sights should be on grabbing a role in the KHL.

It seems that right now, a fourth-line role would be the best-case scenario for Gordin. Should that potential remain the same, then it’s likely better to stay home in Russia and enjoy the home-cooking. Fourth-line minutes and lower pay in North America don’t provide much benefit unless he bets on himself to climb up the lineup and somehow defies the odds.

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