Big trade or draft surprise: impossible to pinpoint the Canadiens’ plan

Today is Saint-Jean Day. It’s a time to celebrate our pride in being Quebecers, and to remember that two years ago, Artturi Lehkonen scored one of Montreal’s most important goals in decades.

Ironically, it’s also Pierre-Luc Dubois’ birthday. The Quebecer, who wants to play in Montreal, celebrates his 25th birthday today.

I imagine that, in an ideal world, he’d celebrate by signing a contract guaranteeing him to spend the next few national holidays in the Canadiens’ colors. That said, at the moment, there’s nothing less certain.

After all, other teams like the Kings and Predators are being mentioned more and more frequently.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that Kent Hughes won’t be able to pick up the Quebecer. I’d be surprised, in any case, if it happened today… but who knows?

But what it does mean is that the whole thing is pretty unpredictable.

After all, think about it. It’s hard to know what’s really going on with the Habs these days. Why is that? Because all options are on the table to improve the club.

And I’m talking about both the draft and the trade market. Once again this year, we can forget about the free-agent market, where the CH won’t be making any big moves.

That’s good for Kent Hughes. #PokerPlayer

After all, in addition to the rumours involving Pierre-Luc Dubois, we know that the CH is looking everywhere to improve its club. Picking up a big-name player who fits into the long-term plan may be an idea on the table.

But who? That’s hard to say.

In fact, it could be just about anyone. After all, last year, nobody saw the deal that brought Kirby Dach to town coming. And yet, today, he’s at the heart of the Flanelle’s revival plan.

But it’s not just on the trade market that it’s difficult to determine what the Habs really want to do: it’s also the case on the sidelines of the draft.

We know that the Habs have already thought about moving up in the draft. After all, to avoid the Matvei Michkov dilemma and to get a center, moving up is the simplest solution.

That said, with the Ducks or Sharks potentially drafting Matvei Michkov or Ryan Leonard, for example, that could also change the plan.

We also know that the Habs may consider going lower in the draft. In such a case, the likes of Ryan Leonard, David Reinbacher or Dalibor Dvorsky could be in the club’s sights.

Once again, it’s a possibility.

What’s in it for me? It’s downright impossible to predict what the CH will do. There are too many variables at play right now, and only the draft will provide answers to our questions.

It’s also at the draft that the Montreal Canadiens could pull a Kirby Dach rabbit out of their hat, as they did last year. In short, there are so many possibilities right now.

Speculation is fun, but if Kent Hughes is the master of the bluff, we could still be surprised next Wednesday.

Breaking news

– To be continued.

– Tough break for the Yankees.

– Who will make history in 2025?

– Having a good owner will help the Sens. [BPM Sports]

– Take your questions.

It’s your turn to ask me a question for my article of the week in@DLCoulisses

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– Mitch Giguere (@Mitch_Giguere) June 23, 2023