List of Habs events that have occured since their 1st round exit:
- Acquired goaltender Jake Allen and a 7th round pick in 2022 from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2020 3rd and 7th round pick.
- Traded a 2020 5th round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenceman Joel Edmundson.
- Signed him to a 4 year contract, 14 million contract
- Re-signed Jeff Petry to a long term deal
- 5 players received qualifying offers: Max Domi, Charles Hudon, Xavier Ouellet, Victor Mete and Noah Juulsen.
What to expect at this year’s NHL Draft
The 2020 NHL Draft is going to be an interesting one for all 31 NHL teams. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the draft will be held live via Zoom conference at the NHL Network Studios in New Jersey. For Marc Bergevin and the Montreal Canadiens, they hold the 16th pick in the 1st round, and according to Bergevin, the pick is available for trade, but for the right price. In return, they want a young top-6 forward with term left on the contract, otherwise they’ll gladly keep the pick. Many good young players to choose from, but we’ll get to that later.
Because of the pandemic, the salary cap will be flat and not going up, so teams are now trying to offload big player salaries to open up salary cap room for the years to come. Lucky for the Habs, they have cap space, but what to do with it is the real question Marc Bergevin is trying to address. He already has utilized it to a degree, bringing in Jake Allen and Joel Edmundson, as well as bring back Jeff Petry. Now the focus shifts to the goal scoring department.
As witnessed in this years playoffs, Montreal had a tough time getting by the pesky Philadelphia Flyers, and couldn’t produce goals. Carey Price was outstanding, but he shouldn’t be the one to bail the team out every time. As good as the Canadiens were, they need more. With teams ready to wheel and deal, Marc Bergevin has a real opportunity to upgrade the forward group. Many forwards are available, from Josh Anderson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jake Virtanen of the Vancouver Canucks, etc., but the real prize is Winnipeg Jets star Patrik Laine.
Now, according to Pierre Lebrun, Montreal have no intention of entering the Laine sweepstakes, but knowing Marc Bergevin, he’s always has his hands in all the cookie jars. Winnipeg are in desperate need of defence and a 2nd line centre. With the Habs 16th pick up and available, they could manoeuvre a trade of containing something like this: Philip Danault/Max Domi, Cole Caufield/Cale Fleury, along with the 16th pick. Would it be enough? Tough to say, but for Montreal, it looks good, whereas Winnipeg may look at this and say no, they want more. Bergevin has had his fair share of good deals, so he’ll have to tread carefully with this, if he does indeed pursue Patrik Laine. Now, if the habs are not able to acquire the Finnish star, there are other options, like Josh Anderson and Jake Virtanen, who are both big, can skate and produce offence. The price for one of them would be much less than the one for Laine, at most a pick and/or maybe a prospect, depends on what their respective teams ask for. If those options don’t pan out for Bergevin, he can select one of many gifted players in the draft. Here are the players that could potentially be sitting at #16.
Dawson Mercer, C/RW, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL
Player comparables: Blake Wheeler/Brendan Gallagher
6’0, 190lbs
Very Agile, good vision, good hands, has a nose for the net, a deceptive shot, average skater.
He is ranked in the 10-20 pick range, on some boards, he’s top 10.
Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi Sagueneens, QMJHL
Player Comparables: Sean Couturier, Patrice Bergeron
6’0, 170lbs
Excellent playmaker, good motor, great skater and great hockey sense. Only problem with him is injuries, concussion, turned out to be back problems.
Has a good pedigree, was ranked top 5 before this year started, but now has slipped outside the top 10. If healthy, he’d be a steal for any team outside the top 10.
Dylan Holloway, C/LW, University of Wisconsin, NCAA
Player Comparables: Max Pacioretty, Chris Kreider
6’1, 203lbs
Great skater, excellent power game, good shot, very quick on skates, good two-way game.
The 2nd youngest player in the NCAA, started off the year slow, but got into a rhythm towards the end of last season.
He’s ranked right around 14, surely won’t get past 17. His potential is real good. He’ll be one of those players in the future, that everyone will say how did he fall that far.
Definitely there’s more, but these are the players I think are the best to pick from. Of course, if any ranked higher that drop, even better. Cannot wait to see what unfolds tomorrow night. GET EXCITED!!
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