The Montreal Canadiens sunk to the bottom of the NHL standings and are expected to remain near the bottom in 2023-24. That means fans will have a special interest in the 2024 NHL Draft prospects, and one of the most respected preliminary lists just came out.
Each year Bob McKenzie puts together a consensus list of the top-ranked prospects, derived from a survey of NHL scouts. There are risers, sleepers and even player that disappoint, but this gives fans an idea of who will be available when their favourite team might make their first-round selection. McKenzie’s top 10 rankings will draw the most interest from fans, as these players are considered to be the cream of the crop for the 2024 NHL Draft.
An intriguing echelon that is added to this top 10 is the fact that the Canadiens, while nothing is set in stone, will likely have another pick in the top 10. So with that said, we can now visualize potential players that will be available in the range where they will potentially pick. Potential fits will emerge, and scenarios will now run through every Habs fan’s brain until the day of the draft comes.
There have been questions emerging about whether the Canadiens can make the playoffs this year, and tanking is just not a part of the culture of the organization, but it seems likely they are primed for a similar finish, maybe more in the bottom six to 10 teams in the 2024 season.
There are of course higher probabilities of selecting a better player, should the Canadiens get a higher top-five pick as opposed to a top-ten pick. Adding another top 10 talent to the Canadiens already budding prospect pool will only benefit the rebuild, and here are the scout-voted top 10 prospects.