The Canadiens released their much-anticipated behind-the-scenes 2024 NHL Draft video on Thursday night. The video showed the meetings at the combine with some of their draft picks, then the war room as Martin Lapointe, Nick Bobrov, Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, and many other scouts and executives. The video ends with the draft at the Sphere, with a look at Kent Hughes meeting Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage. Demidov, Hage, Aatos Koivu, and Logan Sawyer were the stars of the show, but there were also some tidbits about some other draft choices.
Behind-the-Scenes Highlights
Many things excited Canadiens fans about the future, mostly from Demidov's pre-draft interview. Despite the small language barrier, Demidov's interview showed his high character and personality. He started by comparing himself to Jack Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov, where Kent Hughes interjected by saying some of those qualities are also seen in Lane Hutson. The pair then discussed the possibility of him and Hutson together one day.
The interviewing panel then asked Demidov if it would be a mistake to pass on him at No. 5. Demidov replied with a matter-of-fact, "Yes." He also agreed with a comment that he could be a franchise player. The war room at the draft later described Demidov as a future franchise player and first-line even-strength and powerplay talent.
They also showed interviews with Logan Sawyer and Aatos Koivu, where they asked them how they'd handle the pressure of playing in Montreal. Both were adamant that they perform better under pressure and wanted the challenge of doing it in Montreal.
Another special moment from the interviews was the answers from Michael Hage about his late father and their shared love of the Canadiens. It was a portion of the video that would tug at the heartstrings and give you a special appreciation of Hage's journey. It makes me think that Hage will be a fan-favorite upon his eventual arrival.
The organization handled the video's final cut so would only leak footage of positive comments about their draft picks. However, the fact so many good things were said about the players they drafted being steals, and mostly all were ranked higher on the Habs list than where they were drafting is a great sign. The Canadiens believe they had three or four steals in this draft and are optimistic they will all be a success.