If the Canadiens want to back out of the draft, Detroit may be an option

Rumours surrounding the draft have been rife in recent weeks.

The Montreal Canadiens own the fifth overall pick in the draft, and Kent Hughes has a number of options.

First of all, he could very well choose a top-quality prospect from this top 5, if we include the possibility of drafting Will Smith, Leo Carlsson or Matvei Michkov.

The dream scenario would be for the San Jose Sharks to try their luck with Russian prospect Michkov, and Hughes could choose either Smith or Carlsson.

On the other hand, one of the most plausible scenarios is that the CH will have to choose between Michkov or another player “excluded” from the top 5.

Quite honestly, I’d be extremely surprised, but happy, if Hughes chose the young Russian.

We’re all familiar with the Logan Mailloux situation, which has caused quite a stir in the past. Choosing a KHL prospect in Russia, in the middle of a war, who technically can’t join the organization until 2026, doesn’t seem to be an option for Hughes.

He could therefore be tempted to trade this pick to either move up the standings, or get two first-round picks a little further down the line. The CH general manager hasn’t ruled out the possibility of trading this 5th pick, but he doesn’t seem to be as adept at backing down as Marc Bergevin might have been.

That said, the Matvei Michkov situation could change things.

These picks will remain excellent given the depth of the draft.

A Red Wings fan has put forward an interesting trade proposal for the famous 5th pick between the two teams. He’s offering the Wings ‘ 9th, 17th and 43rd picks for the CH’s 5th and 133rd.

It should be pointed out that trading #5 is only available if Michkov remains available at pick #5 and the CH doesn’t want to have to deal with this dilemma…

This would allow Hughes to exercise his wish during the season when he wanted a third first-round pick.

Even though the Panthers’ pick will be among the last four, the CH could compensate by picking up, among others, the 17th pick, which would have been the Panthers’ if they didn’t go through the second round.

All this, in addition to drafting in the top 10 and acquiring a second-round pick.

With this second-round pick, there are some very interesting goalies, like giant Michael Hrabal.

Alternatively, the CH could draft Carey Pr… Caden Price, excuse me. He’s an interesting defenseman with the Kelowna Rockets.

There are also Quebec players who could interest the CH with these two second-round picks.

Ethan Gauthier could go in the first round, but his season has disappointed a few, and we may not see any Quebecers from the QMJHL go in the first 32. Gauthier is one who could be available in one of these two second-round picks.

Moncton Wildcats defenseman Étienne Morin is also an intriguing choice, having led his team in scoring this season with 72 points in 67 games…

He finished third among QMJHL defensemen and the league’s top scorer among undrafted defensemen.

For the Red Wings, this would be a home run for Michkov, who is seen as the second-best talent in the draft after Connor Bedard.

The Russian has better stats than Kirill Kaprizov and Alexander Ovechkin in their draft year in the KHL.

Pretty impressive, don’t you think?

Plus, Detroit has three consecutive second-round picks (41st, 42nd and 43rd), so parting with one of those wouldn’t hurt Steve Yzerman too much.

As I mentioned earlier, the possibilities for Hughes are enormous. I trust the CH GM to do what’s best for the organization.

In gusto

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