Defence Could Be Used To Acquire Offense
With the big club, there are two regular right-shot defensemen. Johnathan Kovacevic and David Savard, are more or less tweeners. Barron has also seen time on the Habs, only recently being sent down to Laval.
Down with Laval, Mailloux is the lone high-potential right-shot defender. But the Rocket should have a few more Habs picks available over the next few years. Then we will have a better idea of the assets available and expendable for the Habs.
And the Draft 2024 could give the Habs a couple more options. From the 2023 draft - David Reinbacher is almost guaranteed to play in the Canadiens system next year. And Bogdan Konyushkov, while under contract in Russia, expressed his desire to play in North America.
Depending on the direction in the draft that the Habs take, Kent Hughes could stand to gain from his wealth of young blueliners.
Let’s say he acquires something for Sean Monahan, perhaps that gets packaged to move up in the draft. This could almost guarantee a top-forward talent in the draft. Nothing is set in stone yet, but moving a defender in a package could land Montreal either another first-round pick or an impactful forward.
Also to note: The Canadiens also have Daniil Sobolev and Dmitri Kostenko, both selected in the 2021 draft. Both are right-shot defenders and projected as AHLers but could be add-ins for a trade.
I don’t see a situation where the Canadiens skip on top forward talent in the draft. A left-shot winger/centre that could slot into the top six. Bringing in an additional piece through trade could set the Habs forward group up for success.
With Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach set in the top six, adding in a 2024 first-round prospect will be huge for the Canadiens. Adding a prospect or additional high pick could be huge. If Newhook can hit, then the Habs have themselves a nice group.
Not to be forgotten: Emil Heineman, Jesse Ylonen and Joshua Roy are some other potential top six options. But if they can find their spot in the bottom six, the forward depth will be a strength. For a team that has long been starved for offence, building a roster with scoring depth will stand the test of time.