Panthers’ defeat: the Canadiens officially have the 31st overall pick

The National Hockey League season officially came to an end last night, as the Vegas Golden Knights claimed the Stanley Cup from the Florida Panthers with a 9-3 victory.

The Golden Knights thus ended the series at home in five short games.

The Panthers’ magical run to the Stanley Cup Final came to an end in five games, just like that of the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.

It’s a real shame for the Panthers, who had proved during the playoffs that they were an excellent team capable of taking top honours.

By beating the Bruins, Leafs and Hurricanes, three of the NHL’s powerhouses this season, we might have expected a better performance from the Panthers in the final.

However, like the CH in 2021, the Panthers seemed to run out of energy in the final.

Just think of Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad, who played through absurd injuries.

In the end, though, Florida pulled off an unexpected feat, especially considering they were facing the mighty Boston Bruins in the first round.

Indeed, when the Panthers qualified for the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, we all expected them to be destroyed by the Bruins, and in so doing, offer the 17th pick to the Montreal Canadiens.

Because, yes, Tricolore fans were hoping the Panthers would lose so they could get the best possible ranking for the first-round pick they got in the Ben Chiarot deal.

Well, in the end, with the Panthers’ defeat last night in the Stanley Cup Final, the CH will get the 31st overall pick in the next draft, to be held on June 28 and 29.

The CH now officially knows the nature of its second first-round pick (the first being the 5th overall).

Unfortunately, this second first-round pick is nowhere near where it was hoped to be earlier this season.

Remember when the Panthers were closer to Connor Bedard than to the playoffs?

Even so, the CH has another first-round pick on hand that could be very useful.

The first option would be to simply grab a quality prospect late in the first round.

There are often surprises in store for players still available in these waters, and the CH could take advantage of them.

Drafting a goaltender could be the CH’s avenue, considering that the organization is sorely lacking one or more top-notch prospects at this position.

The playoffs have proven that it takes a good goalie to perform and go far.

Could giant 6’6″ Czech goalie Michael Hrabal be the CH’s 31st choice?

Note that he’s doing pretty well in French, as you can see at 1:21 of Anthony Martineau’s video below.

It’s impossible at this point to know which prospects will be drafted by the CH at the end of the month.

However, I did see in Buffalo that some were better equipped (😂) than others for a potential life in Montreal.

First post-Combine video.👇😃 pic.twitter.com/O5q8d65945

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) June 14, 2023

The second option would be to trade this pick to acquire a player who will be important to the team’s future, much like the Kirby Dach trade in the last draft.

This pick could also be part of a transaction to acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois.

In short, there are a number of possibilities for the CH with this first-round pick, and now that we officially know the rank of this pick, things could happen.

The last time the Habs drafted at No. 31 was in 2021. Logan Mallloux was Marc Bergevin’s choice.

In a gust

– Read more.

– Of course it is. Reminiscent of the Tampa Bay Lightning beating the CH in the finals in 2021… Will the NHL adopt a rule to limit this kind of situation?

– Indeed.

Absolute class from Panthers coach Paul Maurice 👏 pic.twitter.com/woaADkA3mQ

– B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 14, 2023

– Congratulations once again to the Golden Knights.

This video says it all. Love you, friends.

Sweet dreams, Vegas. 👍#Vegasborn #UKnightTheRealm
pic.twitter.com/K3sRCN4jLF

– Gold and Steel (@GoldandSteelVGK) June 14, 2023

– To be continued on the Flyers’ side.