Several weeks before the trade deadline, Kent Hughes took a risk and traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a first-round pick.
The risk that the GM took that day, as he could have gotten much more closer to the deadline, might very well have paid off.
Indeed, while many saw the Manitoban team going far in the current playoffs, an elimination in the initial round seems very plausible. With a 1-3 deficit against the powerful Colorado team, the Jets will have to work hard to move on to the next stage, much to the delight of the Montreal Canadiens fans.
It is important to note that the 12 teams that are eliminated in the first two rounds of the playoffs will be ranked from 16th to 27th ahead of next draft. The teams that did not finish first in their division were placed in reverse order based on their regular season points, followed by the four division champions, always ranked in reverse order based on their regular season points.
According to this logic and assuming an early elimination of the Jets, the CH would obtain a pick between the 22nd and 24th position at the next draft. A position that is not negligible when you know the depth of the players present in this draft.
This pick could also very well change hands. As he has been used to since he arrived at the head of the club, Kent Hughes could use the Jets' pick to acquire a talented player. He did it with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook and has already announced his desire to repeat in order to acquire offensive talent.
In addition to soon having an idea of the rank of the Jets' pick, we will know on May 7th what rank the CH's pick will be as the famous lottery takes place.
According to the excellent site Tankathon, it is the San Jose Sharks who have the highest chance of selecting, with 18.5%, at the very first rank. The top 5 is completed with the Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%), the Anaheim Ducks (11.5%), the Columbus Blue Jackets (9.5%) and the Montreal Canadiens (8.5%).
Despite his 5th rank, Kent Hughes has, according to probabilities, a higher chance of speaking 6th (44%) at the next draft. Nonetheless, the chances of selecting in the top 2 are still high, at 17.1%.
Via
POLL | ||
29 AVRIL | 434 ANSWERS Deal concluded between Montreal and Winnipeg: an unexpected change Would you trade this 1st pick from the Jets for a youngster like Alexander Holtz? | ||
Yes | 272 | 62.7 % |
No | 162 | 37.3 % |
List of polls |