Kent Hughes could cause a major surprise with his 5th pick

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MarcO
June 16, 2024 (0:12)

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During the last draft, Canadiens fans were disappointed to see Kent Hughes ignore Matvei Michkov in favor of defenseman David Reinbacher.

With an exceptional 2023 defensive crop, the Canadiens' GM could very well repeat the process on June 28 with his 5th overall pick.

Let's not kid ourselves, after Macklin Celebrini, Ivan Demidov and Cayden Lindstrom are the two best forwards in the next NHL draft. Even if the possibility that one of these two players will be available when Hughes makes his pick is high, there is still a possibility, as mentioned by Arpon Basu, that a defenseman could be selected by the Canadiens. Especially since two defensemen from this crop are very well regarded by the organization.

A surprise at the 5th overall pick for the Montreal Canadiens with Zeev Buium or Zayne Parekh?

"The Canadiens really like the left-handed defenseman from the University of Denver, Zeev Buium, and the right-handed defenseman from the Saginaw Spirit, Zayne Parekh, who both possess an important puck-moving element that the Canadiens lack on the blue line, except for Lane Hutson, who is not yet certain to succeed as a defenseman in the NHL. I think Buium and Parekh could both be considered at the 5th spot, although it's hard to determine which one would be preferred, even though Parekh has the advantage of shooting right!" - Arpon Basu

Even though I would like to add a forward to the Canadiens' lineup, the idea of making the defense even deeper is very interesting. It would ensure that the Canadiens' defensive brigade is good in the future and consolidate the rebuild on the back end.

You might say that we already have Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher, and Guhle. But who really says they will be good defensemen in the league? Guhle has proven himself, yes. Hutson and Mailloux have made a good first impression, and Reinbacher is still a project. But what will it look like in the long term?

Having the luxury of having another good defenseman in Buium or Parekh would allow the Canadiens' management to evaluate things well and make the right decisions. They could then trade one of their prospects and acquire a top forward.

Via GoNordiques
Repêchage: Kent Hughes sur le point de prendre une décision très peu populaire?