Predicting what Kent Hughes will do with the 26th pick
The pick Montreal acquired in the Sean Monahan trade has officially been set in stone. With the 26th pick, Kent Hughes has plenty of options.
The slotting of the Montreal Canadiens pick acquired in the Sean Monahan trade has officially been established, with the conference finals set.
Montreal will select in the top five as we all know, with sights reportedly set on nabbing one of the top forwards. But they have another chance to add a high impact first round prospect, and they will have the option to select 26th overall, among other options. it's not inconceivable to think that Kent Hughes keeps the pick and selects a player, but he could go another route.
With the 2nd RD in the books, we now know the order of the first 28 selections in the draft next month.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 21, 2024
24- Colorado #GoAvsGo
25- Ottawa #LetsGoSens (from BOS)
26- Montreal #GoHabsGo (from WPG)
27- Carolina #CauseChaos
28- Calgary #Flames (from VAN)https://t.co/950OhwVqcp pic.twitter.com/BdcZsnHfFJ
There are different opinions across every scouting agency - so some have a guy ranked as the 20th best prospect, that is ranked top 10 in another scout's rankings. Having said that, it is likely that some may agree with me and some may not. Either way, if the Canadiens draft well, they have a great chance to add a highly talented player.
Generally, the top 15 picks are the closest to being legitimate NHL players within 2-4 years; this isn't a rule of thumb, however. Take for instance the Dallas Stars, who are currently a favourite to go to the Stanley Cup finals. Jason Robertson was drafted 39th overall, Logan Stankoven was selected 47th overall and Wyatt Johnston went 23rd overall. Mavrik Bourque was selected 30th and this past season he was named the American Hockey League MVP.
So, the pick the Canadiens acquired from the Winnipeg Jets could prove to be a very important one, especially with the way Kent Hughes has drafted. The Habs are also back in familiar territory with pick 26, after drafting Filip Mesar in that spot at the 2022 draft. Mesar should play his first full professional season in 2024-25 and with the excitement he will garner, it's likely the 2024 pick will be the same.
Two options at pick 26
If I'm Hughes, I think picking a forward with the fifth overall selection makes the most sense, given the fact that David Reinbacher joined an already solid group of blueliners. I would go as far as to say that double dipping in the forward prospects pool available at the draft makes a ton of sense also. Adding one of the top 30 ranked forwards would be a great boost for the Canadiens offence.
Dean Letourneau is an interesting player to me - the 6 foot 6 centre is a commit to Boston College for the 2024-25 season. And, while he hasn't dominated in a prominent league, he will make the jump St. Andrew's College in the u18 AAA league to the NCAA. Letourneau scored 127 points in 56 games and with his blend of size, smooth skating and great puck skills for a big man, he could be a nice addition to the Canadiens.
Andrew Basha, a teammate of projected top-10 pick Cayden Lindstrom is a smaller winger. The six-foot-tall winger weighs in at 180 pounds. After scoring 85 points in 63 games, the majority of which were without his No. 1 centre, Lindstrom. Basha then followed that up with five points through five WHL playoff games.
Both players have the potential to play in the Canadiens' top six in the future and could beef up the Habs' attack. With Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach down the middle in the top six, adding some more talented wingers into the mix won't hurt the Canadiens. Adding in Letourneau, a huge centre could also free up Dach on the wing.
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