The Canadiens ultimate checklist for a successful 2024 offseason

Use the inevitable high lottery pick well

Ideally, the Canadiens would win the Macklin Celebrini sweepstakes, and a player of his caliber would be sensational to team up with the likes of Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, and Nick Suzuki. And the likelihood of the Canadiens winning the lottery isn’t half-bad, even if they won’t have the best odds entering the 2024 draft to the same extent as the Anaheim Ducks, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, and, to a lesser degree, the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Either way, it’s a pick that Hughes must strike gold on, and it’s something we have seen throughout his first two drafts. We already mentioned Slafkovsky, but David Reinbacher is also now in North America, and he’s already making his presence known in Laval as a two-way player with four points and two goals in eight contests as of April 9th. 

Next season, Slafkovsky will be in the NHL for his second full season, and Reinbacher could get a look if he keeps trending upward. The next top draft pick must also find themselves in the Habs lineup sooner rather than later, ideally as early as sometime during the 2025-26 season.