Possible big turnaround: the Habs could end up with the third overall pick

On May 8th, the famous lottery for the upcoming NHL Draft, which will take place in Nashville in June, will be held. For the second year in a row, Canadiens fans will be glued to their TVs and smartphones in hopes of seeing their favorite team land the magical ball that would bring a generational player to Montreal, namely Connor Bedard.

But let's be realistic, the chances of that happening are quite slim, as finishing 28th in the overall standings gives the Canadiens an 8.5% chance of winning the lottery and an 8.6% chance of drafting second overall.

If we do the math, that's a little less than a one in five chance that Kent Hughes will be speaking among the top two picks and have the opportunity to draft Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli.

In the worst case scenario, the Canadiens could draft seventh overall, but did you know that there is a scenario in which the team could have the third pick?


As reported by Charles-Alexis Brisebois of Danslescoulisses.com, Marco D'Amico explained in a column that this third pick scenario would come from Ottawa.


The Senators finished 21st in the overall standings, and if they were to win the lottery, the rules stipulate that they could only draft second overall, which would automatically give the first pick to the Anaheim Ducks.

It would be quite a turnaround, but it's a real possibility.

But if the Canadiens were to win the second overall pick after the Senators won the first overall pick, Kent Hughes' team would be slotted in at the third overall pick, leaving the second pick to the Senators.

All of this still seems highly unlikely as we're talking about a 0.3% chance that the Canadiens would get the third pick, as shown in the photo below.


Well, even if the chances of this scenario happening are unlikely, the fact remains that this year's draft is superior to 2022, and it's a safe bet that the name Kent Hughes will announce on the podium in Nashville next June could become an impact player for the Canadiens before long.