The Canadiens has already met Tij Iginla four times, according to Stéphane Gonzalez

At Christmas, I wrote a piece on the 2024 draft.

I talked about eight prospects that caught my eye for the draft… and Tij Iginla’s name was one of them.

That said, I was pleased to learn from Stéphane Gonzalez that Iginla would be of interest to the Habs. At least, that’s what the host revealed on his show today on BPM Sports.

Gonzo went even further, saying that there have already been several meetings between the player and the Montreal organization:

I can confirm…

I have information that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have already met four times with Tij Iginla this year. They think very highly of him. – Stéphane Gonzalez

The Canadiens would draft 6th if the draft were held tonight and the lottery had no impact on his final selection rank.

At this point, the idea of getting your hands on a complete player like Iginla is certainly interesting.

Because Tij Iginla does everything on the ice: he scores goals, he has great vision, he’s powerful on his skates at six feet and 185 pounds, he plays like his father and he’s able to stand up in important moments.

This season, in Kelowna in the WHL (Rockets), Jarome’s son collected 47 goals and 37 assists for 84 points in just 64 games (at 17 years of age). He also has five goals in three playoff games so far.

I don’t know what you’re planning to do in the next 15 minutes… But the following video really gives you a good idea of the young man’s talent:

There’s a big, big BUT to all this.

The Flames have been bad lately, while the Habs have been winning their games.

If the Flames were to “overtake” the Habs on the draft board, the chances of Iginla ending up in Montreal would probably be slimmer, because in Calgary, they’re going to want to draft the son of the man who was the face of the franchise for so many years.

At the time of writing, the Canadiens have 70 points on the scoreboard… while the Flames have 73:

The end of the season for both clubs will be one to watch, then.

In closing… Hearing Stéphane Gonzalez’s comments also suggests that the Habs are really focused on a forward for the next draft.

In a way, it confirms what Arpon Basu said recently.

Overtime

– Cocky a bit… And that’s okay.

See this post on Instagram

A publication shared by 1929 HOCKEY (@1929hockey_)

– He’s special.

– This is getting interesting.

– Sad news.

NHL : Boone Jenner announces the stillbirth of his sonhttps://t.co/onTvDB9Rz6

– RDS (@RDSca) April 3, 2024