Rarely have we felt, as the NHL draft approaches, that the Montreal Canadiens could take so many different directions.
During a press briefing held Thursday in Las Vegas, on the eve of this famous draft, CH vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton commented on just one thing: without guaranteeing it “100%.” “, he said the club should keep its main first-round pick, at fifth overall.
Besides, he is very smart who knows how to predict what will happen with the Habs. Predicting the player who will be the lucky one is in itself risky. Gorton wanted to temper the comments of general manager Kent Hughes who declared, a few weeks ago, that the team would prioritize an attacker with its first selection.
The “best player available” philosophy still prevails, he assured. The CH list is ready, and it should no longer change, we understand. Everything now depends on the decisions made by the four teams who will choose first: the San Jose Sharks, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Since we know in advance that Macklin Celebrini is destined for the Sharks, it is actually the Blackhawks who will dictate what happens next. “Last year, we all knew who the four guys were going to be picked before our turn came, and we had a decision to make at No. 5,” Gorton recalled. His choice then fell on David Reinbacher.
Earlier, Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson smiled as he told a reporter that no, he would not reveal his strategy. The choice of the club has been made, he nevertheless assured. Will he prioritize a defenseman, a glaring need in Chicago, after drafting Connor Bedard last year? Not necessarily. Will he prefer a young dynamic attacker to assist Bedard? Lips are sealed.
Ron Francis, GM of the Seattle Kraken, also said that his team, holder of the eighth pick, was preparing for “all eventualities”.
“We have been looking at different scenarios for months for fifth place,” added Gorton. We are at the mercy of the decisions of other teams. We are comfortable with our list, we will live with it. »
Anything can happen, we said, on the podium, obviously, but also behind the scenes, whether at the end of the line or directly on the repechage floor.
Kent Hughes’ phone doesn’t ring, his colleague said. The Canadian, it is true, is in a good position to conclude different types of transactions, particularly to improve the club in the short term. “I think we have a lot of ammo,” Gorton summed up. Twelve picks in this year’s draft, including two in the first round (5th and 26th), and 12 more picks in 2025. But also a lot of “good young players.”
“The phone is ringing,” he repeated. I already found myself in a situation where we didn’t have [these assets], and the phone didn’t ring. »
“We have conversations that we wouldn’t have otherwise,” he added.
The objective is clear: “We want to have a better team when we return. » Returning from Vegas or returning from the off-season? There is a blur. But the goal is the same: to be “in the mix” of the playoffs, an equally vague expression used last season to define the goals for 2024-2025.
The team has established certain targets on the free agent market, we also understand, but we will probably not try to catch a big fish. “We have a lot of young people who are developing and who need opportunities to play,” recalled Gorton. I wouldn’t want them to be blocked by an older player who has a long-term contract. »
Again and again on the theme of anything that can happen, there is finally what is now fashionable to call the “Russian factor”.
A year after the melodrama surrounding the non-selection of Matvei Michkov by the Canadian, and his selection two ranks further by the Philadelphia Flyers, Ivan Demidov finds himself among the most popular forwards of the day.
Gorton insisted they were “two different players”, who are “not related”. The organization counts on “good people” in Russia, who diligently report on the development of hopes there, at a time when, given the geopolitical climate, it is difficult for club representatives to make the trip themselves.
Montreal management, moreover, does not seem intimidated by the idea of drafting Demidov, even if uncertainty always seems to surround transfers between the KHL and the NHL. Michkov will likely make the jump to North America only a year after being drafted, and Demidov has explicitly explained that he wants to arrive as soon as possible as well.
The Canadian was among the teams who spoke with him in Vegas on Thursday. Gorton spoke of an “impressive” young man, particularly in terms of his physical fitness and his mastery of English.
However, neither he nor Kent Hughes had traveled to Florida the previous week to see him in action as part of an event organized by the Gold Star agency, which represents several Russian players. Asked about this, the administrator indicated that he preferred to send Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe, co-directors of amateur recruitment. “They are the ones who see [the most] players,” he justified. I don’t want to stop them from doing their job. »
A clear answer… which does not, however, help to reduce the aura of mystery surrounding the Canadiens, without a doubt one of the most intriguing clubs in the league at the moment.
Did we say anything could happen?
