2026 Draft: A Giant in Montreal in a mock draft by The Athletic

Raphael Simard
2026 Draft: A Giant in Montreal in a mock draft by The Athletic
Credit: YT

The Canadiens are headed for a loss tonight (I hope that prediction backfires).

In fact, the Canadiens are headed for an elimination against the Hurricanes. That would mean Montreal would draft 28th, one spot ahead of the Avalanche, who secured the 29th pick with their early elimination against Vegas.

The Athletic, which ran this exercise just before Colorado's elimination, published a mock draft, and columnist Max Bultman has Kent Hughes selecting the tall Swedish left-handed defenseman William Hakansson.

Hakansson isn't a savior, and he isn't Lane Hutson. He won't rack up 70 points a season, but at 6 feet 4 inches and 207 pounds, he's imposing.

His playing style is purely defensive; he tallied 10 points in 44 games in the Swedish Elite League in 2025–2026. In his brief paragraph, Bultman notes that the Habs are strong at just about every position. It would therefore make sense for the organization to draft a player who can strengthen the Habs' blue line defensively.

We're seeing that a big defenseman who plays well defensively can be devastating in the playoffs.

Don't expect Montreal to draft at No. 28, though. In fact, they likely won't draft at all in the first round. The club has reached maturity and will be very active in trading away that late first-round pick.

While the free-agent market is as dry as the Sahara Desert, the trade market is in full swing. Kent Hughes will be active in improving his team, and a trade will likely involve prospects and his 2026 first-round pick.

Trading their first-round pick is less certain for Toronto, in any case.


In a nutshell

– Photo taken minutes before disaster struck.

– Sidney Crosby sees himself in Macklin Celebrini. [The Athletic]

– This is crazy.

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