The Canadiens are very interested in Anton Silayev

On draft day, there are many aspects to keep an eye on.

Will Ivan Demidov slide to the Habs? Is Zeev Buium a real option? Will Cayden Lindstrom scare the Habs? #Dos

But the fact remains that the Habs aren’t afraid to step outside the box. To borrow a phrase from Martin St-Louis, the Habs have to go where the draft tells them to.

And if it’s through a defenseman, it’s through a defenseman.

Jeff Gorton said yesterday that he expects to draft with his pick, which suggests that the club doesn’t expect to back out of the draft if a forward isn’t available. A chance!

The Habs VP also opened the door to drafting a defenseman if need be. It’s a door that had been closed a bit by Kent Hughes a few weeks ago, but which wasn’t completely barred.

And we agree that, with the quality of defensemen available, it makes sense.

On this subject, Corey Pronman, in his mock draft of the day, even placed Zeev Buium fifth… while Russian Ivan Demidov was still available to the Habs.

One last 2024 NHL mock draft. https://t.co/Gvz88vKs0E

– Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 28, 2024

We know that some people put Lindstrom ahead of Demidov. But now Buium is potentially ahead of the Russian too? #WingerOrDefender #Utility

Note that he’s not the only defenseman the Habs like. Also in the same paper, Pronman talked about the Habs’ plan for the future and had this to say:

I think Montreal has a lot of interest in Anton Silayev if he slips in the draft. – Corey Pronman

Will the defenseman be drafted by the Habs? If I had to bet, I’d say no, because I see him going out to Anaheim. However, it’s normal to see Habs management paying particular attention to the prospect.

In Overtime

– Steven Stamkos: not good. Victor Hedman: doing well.

In addition to this bit of news, BriseBois said the Lightning hope to announce a Victor Hedman extension soon. He is eligible for one on July 1 https://t.co/NHxlNxfDlC

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 28, 2024