Kent Hughes is targeting two new forwards according to The Athletic
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With the NHL draft fast approaching, it's normal to see more and more mock drafts.
The latest one by The Athletic, however, is quite the talk, as the Canadiens' fifth pick is most surprising.
For this second edition, Max Bultman joins Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler to create a "if I were the general manager" type of mock draft. They put on their GM hats and made decisions, alternately, as if they were making the picks for the clubs.
The Canadiens and Kent Hughes draft Berkly Catton and Sacha Boisvert in the latest mock draft by The Athletic
As you will see below, the Canadiens' pick, made by Scott Wheeler, is quite surprising. He thinks the Canadiens will select none other than forward Berkly Catton.
1. SAN JOSE - Macklin Celebrini - C (NCAA)
2. CHICAGO - Ivan Demidov - RW (MHL)
3. ANAHEIM - Artyom Levshunov - RD (NCAA)
4. COLUMBUS - Carter Yakemchuk - RD (WHL)
5. MONTREAL - Berkly Catton - C (WHL)
6. UTAH - Anton Silayev - LD (KHL)
7. OTTAWA - Zeev Buium - LD (NCAA)
8. SEATTLE - Zayne Parekh - RD (OHL)
9. CALGARY - Cayden Lindstrom - C (WHL)
10. NEW JERSEY - Sam Dickinson - LD (OHL)
11. BUFFALO - Cole Eiserman - LW (USHL)
12. PHILADELPHIA - Beckett Sennecke - RW (OHL)
13. MINNESOTA - Stian Solberg - LD (SHL)
14. SAN JOSE - Tij Iginla - C (WHL)
15. DETROIT - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard - RW (SWE)
2. CHICAGO - Ivan Demidov - RW (MHL)
3. ANAHEIM - Artyom Levshunov - RD (NCAA)
4. COLUMBUS - Carter Yakemchuk - RD (WHL)
5. MONTREAL - Berkly Catton - C (WHL)
6. UTAH - Anton Silayev - LD (KHL)
7. OTTAWA - Zeev Buium - LD (NCAA)
8. SEATTLE - Zayne Parekh - RD (OHL)
9. CALGARY - Cayden Lindstrom - C (WHL)
10. NEW JERSEY - Sam Dickinson - LD (OHL)
11. BUFFALO - Cole Eiserman - LW (USHL)
12. PHILADELPHIA - Beckett Sennecke - RW (OHL)
13. MINNESOTA - Stian Solberg - LD (SHL)
14. SAN JOSE - Tij Iginla - C (WHL)
15. DETROIT - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard - RW (SWE)
It's interesting to see that the Canadiens, in this simulation, would pass on Cayden Lindstrom, Tij Iginla, and Cole Eiserman. Here are Wheeler's explanations for this surprising choice:
"A few defensemen are my best player available here, but with David Reinbacher, Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson, and Logan Mailloux and an obvious need in the middle, I'm not sure the gap between the available Ds and the top centers is enough for me to double down. Catton brings a dimension of skating and skill that the Canadiens' core could really use. I prefer him over Cayden Lindstrom, Tij Iginla (a winger), and the other available forwards. If the Canadiens had taken the lead a year ago, this decision would have been simpler for me." - Scott Wheeler
Also, with the Jets' pick, the 26th overall, Wheeler selects forward Sacha Boisvert. The aspiring GM thinks that adding the Quebec native is a natural choice due to his size, skills, competitiveness, and intangibles. He sees him becoming a future third-line center behind Suzuki and Catton in the coming years.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 682 ANSWERS Kent Hughes is targeting two new forwards according to The Athletic Who would you take first with the fifth overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
| Berkly Catton | 65 | 9.5 % |
| Tij Iginla | 221 | 32.4 % |
| Artyom Levshunov | 32 | 4.7 % |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 364 | 53.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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