With the NHL draft just around the corner, now is the perfect time to take stock of who the Habs may take with the 28th overall pick (should they not have another Noah Dobson-esque trade cooked up). We’ll take a look at a few outlets to see what the scouts, writers, pundits, and pros think who would be the next best fit for Montreal.
Kimelman / Morreale (NHL.com) – William Hakansson / Adam Goljer
Adam Kimelman and Mike Morreale both looked at defensemen across the pond for their picks for NHL.com. Kimelman’s pick of Hakansson hails from Sweden and is a 6’4”, 207 lb left-shot defensive defenseman. Meanwhile, Goljer, the Slovakian, sits a tad shorter at 6’3” 194lbs but brings a bit more of a two-way game comparatively.
It's no secret that the Canadiens are in the market for some size on the blue line, and both possibilities lean in that direction. The last time the Canadiens grabbed a defender in the first round was, of course, David Reinbacher fifth overall at the 2023 draft.
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic) – Gleb Pugachyov
Sticking with the size aspect but switching to a forward, Wheeler landed on Pugachyov from Russia’s MHL. The 6’3”, 200 lb Pugachov put up solid numbers, with 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 33 regular-season games for Chaika Nizhny Novgorod. He also notched three goals and six assists in 16 playoff games.
A bona fide power forward in every aspect of the word, Pugachyov can drive the net to finish plays, battle hard net front, or if you happen to be an unfortunate puck-carrier, he can drive you through the boards. All in all, he’s not exactly a player profile that the Canadiens have in abundance.
Gleb Pugachyov (2026) plants himself in the net-front and tips in his third goal of the playoffs!#2026NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/08isuNqHiw
— dylan griffing (@GriffingDylan) April 19, 2026
Steven Ellis (Daily Faceoff) – J.P. Hurlbert
The Canadiens have had a penchant for picking high-scoring players from the WHL, most recently overage defenseman Bryce Pickford. Sticking with the high-scoring, but shifting to the wing, J.P Hurlbert had a direct line to the scoreboard. The WHL rookie slammed home an outrageous 42 goals and 55 assists for 97 points in 68 regular-season games with the Kamloops Blazers.
The right-shot Texan has committed to the University of Michigan and looks to bring his sharpshooting skills to the Wolverines. Hurlbert has a smaller build than others listed in this article, 6’0”, 183lbs, but is hardly undersized by any means.
Craig Button (TSN) – Mattias Vanhanen
The WHL’s Everett Silvertips were spoiled with elite talent last season, including Finland’s Mattias Vanhanen. Vanhanen fits in perfectly with Montreal’s quick transition style of play as he has a fantastic habit of being in the right place at the right time, which often finds him up on the scoresheet.
The 5’11”, 176lb forward racked up an absurd 21 goals and 66 assists for 87 points in 62 regular season games. He also had 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in 18 playoff games en route to the Silvertips first Ed Chynoweth Cup.
matias vanhanen with a goal to tie it in the #memorialcup final! with 8 points, he ties the all-time tournament points record by a finnish player 🏒🥅 pic.twitter.com/7hWaJJmXQA
— cier ୨୧ (@coppeliantics) May 31, 2026
The consensus seems to be that either up front or along the blue line, the Canadiens need to get bigger. I tend to agree, killing plays in their own zone defensively or taking up net front space offensively are both serious needs for the Canadiens, and lots of these rankings address that need.
Either way, all will be answered when the draft goes down on June 26.
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