Hockey

rank 16: Justin Carbonneau reportedly available for the Canadiens
Félix Forget
rank 16: Justin Carbonneau reportedly available for the Canadiens
Credit: This morning, the Canadiens had the 16th and 17th picks of the draft. And for many weeks, we’ve been talking about the various prospects that would be available at these ranks. That said, in the afternoon, the Habs traded these two picks. They were sent to Long Island, along with Emil Heineman, to get their […]

This morning, the Canadiens had the 16th and 17th picks of the draft. And for many weeks, we've been talking about the various prospects that would be available at these ranks.

That said, in the afternoon, the Habs traded these two picks. They were sent to Long Island, along with Emil Heineman, to get their hands on Noah Dobson.

And we agree that the club is not unhappy: it certainly wouldn't have found Dobson at, say, 16th.

However, it took several hours before the deal was made official… but while the Canucks made the 15th pick, the transaction has just been made official.

It's been a long time coming, but now it's official.

That said, it's interesting to see who the players available at #16 would have been. And what we notice is that Québécois Justin Carbonneau, heavily linked to the Canadiens in recent weeks, is still available.

If the Habs hadn't traded their picks, they could have gotten Carbonneau.

Victor Eklund, who was projected as a top-10 pick, would also have been available to the Canadiens. In fact, he was the 16th pick of the auction, and the Islanders must be happy to have seen him slip.

Kashawn Aitcheson, another name circulating in Montreal, was the Islanders' 17th choice. So, in the end, the Islanders got Eklund, Aitcheson and Emil Heineman in return for Noah Dobson.

Eklund and Carbonneau would have been two great picks… but Noah Dobson isn't half bad either.

Logan Hensler and Lynden Lakovic, two other names that have been the talk of the town, are also available.

Carter Bear, who was a popular choice, was selected 13th overall by the Red Wings. He would no longer have been available.

But in the end, with Dobson under contract for eight years, the Habs can't be too sad to have missed their chance to tap into the prospect pool.


Extension

Incidentally, since the deal wasn't official, the Canadiens posted a message saying the club was on the clock. But of course, it wasn't… even though the dial went down long before the official announcement.

And speaking of the official announcement, Gary Bettman called Luguentz Dort to the podium. The plan, of course, was to have the Québécois announce the Habs' pick… but in the end, he didn't say a word, given that it was Bettman who announced the trade.

In short, Dort went out of his way… to press a big red button. Nothing less.

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