The haunting Jesperi Kotkaniemi pick

The Montreal Canadiens needed a centre, but that was among a list of many other needs.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi was ranked as the top centre, but there were better options. Marc Bergevin put all his eggs in one basket and drafted the Finn, although there were better options. Looking back, if Kotkaniemi had worked out, things may have changed much.

Perhaps Bergevin would have matched Carolina’s offersheet and Kotkaniemi would still be with the Canadiens. But he didn’t live up to his draft ranking and honestly, you could argue that he was rushed to the NHL. Another season in Finnish Liiga would have done him well, as evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t blown up with the Hurricanes. 

It doesn’t appear that he will develop into a first-line centre, so it was good for Montreal to move on. But given the quality of players available, it was a stinger for sure. Vancouver and Ottawa made away like bandits with Quinn Hughes at seventh and Brady Tkachuk at fourth overall.

What could have been

It’s easy to look back now and say, this player would have made sense or this guy would have been the better option. But the general manager has the final say and whether you agree or not, Kotkaniemi was the guy. It appears that Barrett Hayton, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, fifth overall selection, could be the top centre in the draft.

Hayton is poised to grab a top-six centre role with Utah out of camp. But it has been a slow grind, so it’s not as though Montreal would be better off yet, had they chosen him. He looks like he will be just what Utah needs, but his draft selection seems a bit too early. 

I think that Tkachuk would have been the perfect addition to the Canadiens. He brings size, grit and tons of character, which the Habs certainly covet and he has shown that he belongs in a top-line role unequivocally. Things would have gone differently in terms of drafting Juraj Slafkovsky and all, but the Habs may be ahead of where they are. 

It’s all should have, would have and could have now, but adding Hughes or Tkachuk would have left the Habs in a better spot now. Lane Hutson, Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov have high hopes to be pillars for the Habs and this just means the Habs will be competitive later. More playoff hockey and competitive Habs teams are better, but the Kotkaniemi pick is one of a few reasons why bringing in Kent Hughes was the breath of fresh air that the team needed. 

It will be a few years before Montreal is ready to compete, but the pieces will be in place for the long haul.