Tij Iginla at #5-6: will the Canadiens really consider it?

With only three games left in the season for the Montreal Canadiens, and no playoffs in sight for Montreal fans, most are already thinking about the draft, and rightly so.

Once again this year, the Tricolore will have an excellent first-round draft pick on June 28.

It will therefore have the chance to add another solid young player (hopefully a forward) to its increasingly well-stocked roster.

If the 2023-2024 season ended now, and the lottery didn’t change the draft standings, the Habs would draft at #5ᵉ, just like last year.

Last night’s Coyotes and Flames wins help the Habs by giving them some breathing room in the 5ᵉ lottery rankings.

Obviously, THE big game to watch is tonight’s between the Habs and the Ottawa Senators, when the Habs simply can’t afford to win if they want to stay in the top-5 for the lottery.

In short, if everything stays as it is right now, the Habs would be talking either 5ᵉ or 6ᵉ rank.

The question would then be: who will the Tricolore draft?

Well, based on the fact that the Habs already have far too many defensemen on their roster and drafted one in the last draft in David Reinbacher, we can expect to see a forward selected by Kent Hughes and his gang.

That narrows down the options.

And on the forward front, the biggest rumor in recent weeks has been that Jarome’s son, Tij Iginla, is interested in the Habs.

The Habs have reportedly met with Tij Iginla four times already.

On the other hand, will the habs really consider the option of selecting him as early as the 5ᵉ or 6ᵉ rank?

In most prospect rankings for the 2024 draft, Iginla is ranked after the 10ᵉ spot.

Would that cool off the Habs, or on the contrary, are they confident they can select him 5th-6th?

What’s certain is that, at the moment, Iginla has only been moving up the ranks in recent weeks, and all the more so thanks to the excellent series he’s currently enjoying in the WHL.

He has 11 points in seven games, and leads the WHL in scoring with eight goals.

In short, Iginla’s value is rising, while Cayden Lindstrom’s and Berkly Catton’s are stagnating.

In fact, the two top WHL prospects ranked ahead of Iginla were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, while Iginla continues his dominance in the second round.

It should also be noted that Lindstrom and Catton will not be attending the World Junior Under-18 Championship from April 25 to May 5.

With all that taken into account, could Iginla overtake Catton and Lindstrom to become a more-than-possible option for the Habs at #5-6?

In my opinion, yes.

Clearly, it’s a bit early to draft Iginla, but if Habs management absolutely wants him and believes this hard-working, talented prospect would fit perfectly into their plans, he’d be an option to consider.

In a gust

– Here are some more of Iginla’s great plays.

– First home game tonight for Montreal CF.

– The Dallas Stars could face the defending champions in the first round.

– Incroyable !

– Two rookies who are really helping the Pittsburgh Penguins right now.

– A very important match today for the Lions.

MATCH DAY

Come and support your Lions! A decisive match, not to be missed!

@RailersHC
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Match starts at 3pm
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– Trois-Rivières Lions (@Lions3r) April 13, 2024