As the draft continues to progress, the Habs have several picks, and they have traded their 76th pick to the Anaheim Ducks for a third round pick in 2022. I would like to remind you that the 2022 draft will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
That being said, with the 87th pick this year, Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin opted for Dmitri Kostenko, a 6-foot, 168-pound right-handed defenseman. This year, the young Russian played in the MHL for Ladia Togliatti, where he had nine points in ten games, and in the VHL, where he had ten points in 40 games. In 2021-22, he will play in the KHL for Moskva Spartak.
Kostenko, who the Montreal Canadiens could have drafted in the second round, has a multitude of offensive skills and loves to rush the puck into the opposition's zone. He can afford to do this since he has quick feet and very quick hands. Once in the zone, he can slow the game down, thanks to his great hockey sense, and spot a well-placed teammate on the ice. He can also shoot if the lane is open, thanks to a fairly heavy shot, or even accelerate towards the net, as he likes to use his good pair of hands to taunt opponents.
He is one of the older players in this draft, which makes him an intriguing player, but if he improves his defense, he could certainly become a very exciting project for the Montreal Canadiens who may see an Alexander Romanov in him (in terms of potential). If he can put on some muscle and improve his weaknesses, he could become a good candidate to operate one of the Montreal Canadiens' massive offenses. But, for now, he is still far from the NHL.
