First-round pick obtained from the Jets for Sean Monahan: he moved up to 23ᵉ rank.

The Montreal Canadiens fell to the Carolina Hurricanes last night in a tasteless 3-0 game.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a show, as the Hurricanes picked up two points without us even really noticing.

At least, even though his streak of games with at least one point came to an end, Juraj Slafkovsky had an excellent game, and was the Habs’ best player.

Despite this tasteless game, it must be said that the Tricolore came out on top yesterday in the National Hockey League.

How’s that?

Well, as some may have already guessed, I’m obviously referring to the lottery.

The Canadiens lost, and on the other side, the Columbus Blue Jackets won (4-3 shootout over the Pittsburgh Penguins), the Calgary Flames won (4-2 over the Los Angeles Kings) and the Ottawa Senators won (3-2 over the Winnipeg Jets).

Here’s what it looks like at my good friend Tankathon.

So the Habs are still in 6ᵉ place, and remain very close to 5ᵉ given that the Coyotes are just one point behind the Habs in the standings.

Now, I’d like to draw your attention to the last victory I listed earlier in my text, that of the Ottawa Senators.

Why?

Because it’s important to note that not only did the Sens win, but the Jets lost in the same game.

It’s a perfect draft scenario for the Habs.

Still haven’t made the connection?

The Habs have owned the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round pick since the Sean Monahan trade.

So, obviously, the Tricolore wants to see this pick go as high as possible.

A few weeks ago, however, this pick was 31st out of 32, given that the Jets were at the top of the NHL.

In recent weeks, however, things have been going badly for the Jets, and now, with a six-game losing streak (the sixth against Ottawa yesterday), the Jets’ pick finds itself in 23rd place.

Well, well, this is starting to get interesting.

There’s a very nice difference between the 31ᵉ overall pick and the 23ᵉ.

Losing last night, the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs moved ahead in the standings with their respective victories, boosting the Jets’ first-round pick.

By the way, a big thank you to Sean Monahan, who missed a COMPLETELY empty net late in the game.

Makes you wonder if the Habs alum isn’t working as an undercover agent for the Habs….

In short, the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round pick has moved up into a very interesting draft zone, and that could greatly benefit the Habs.

Of course, for this pick to stay there, the Jets will have to lose in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

And frankly, I think that’s highly likely, given that the Jets would have to beat both the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars (if they win their first-round match-up) to advance to the third round.

The Sean Monahan deal is becoming more and more interesting for the Habs, as this first-round pick could be used to draft a good young prospect, or to complete a transaction.

Who knows what Kent Hughes will have in store for us at the draft.

This Jets pick could very well be used to pick up a talented young forward.

Stay tuned.

In a gust

– A tough loss for the Laval Rocket, whose playoff position is extremely fragile.

– Tasteless defeat for Montreal CF.

– A very big game to watch out for today, as Jacob Fowler attempts to reach the Frozen Four, as Lane Hutson did yesterday.

Here’s an update on the playoff odds for each NHL team.

– Pity.