Huge twist regarding the Sharks' 4th overall pick: Leo Carlsson or Will Smith to the Montreal Canadiens?

We are a few weeks away from the NHL draft and speculations are high as to who the Canadiens will pick at the fifth spot.

At this selection rank, one can presume that Matvei Michkov, Leo Carlsson, and Will Smith might be available, but as reported by Nicolas Desrosiers from Marqueur.com, an NHL GM could greatly help Kent Hughes.

As we know, the situation around Matvei Michkov is quite peculiar, and for this reason, some teams will not risk drafting him early in the first round.

However, according to Patrik Bexell from Habs Eye On The Prize,
the General Manager of the San Jose Sharks, Mike Grier, is not worried that Michkov probably would not come to North America before 2026.

Grier already said that he isn't worried about him not coming over until 2026.— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) May 9, 2023

The Sharks will speak a rank before the Canadiens, and it's very possible that Grier decides to take the risk and draft the young Russian prospect.

In fact, San Jose is officially favored to draft Michkov, according to bookmakers!

This would mean that Kent Hughes could have the chance to choose between Leo Carlsson and Will Smith, which would undoubtedly please the Canadiens' fans.

We are still far from such a scenario, but if you had to choose between Carlsson and Smith, which of these two prospects would be the best choice for the future of the organization?

If the Sharks draft Michkov, that would be major! And honestly, we would be happy because we could not bear the idea of the Montreal Canadiens passing over Michkov to draft a David Reinbacher or a Dalibor Dvorsky.