The CH is among the “losers” of the draft, according to Scott Wheeler

Vincent Larue
The CH is among the “losers” of the draft, according to Scott Wheeler
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

The NHL Draft has barely ended, and the first assessments are already starting to circulate.

Of course, no one will know for several years which teams have actually been the most successful. Every year, first-round picks disappoint, and players selected much later end up becoming key contributors in the NHL.

That hasn't stopped some experts from sharing their first impressions.

This is particularly true of Scott Wheeler at The Athletic, who ranked the Canadiens among the losers of the 2026 draft.

The Habs, incidentally, aren't on a very long list. Wheeler identified only three “losers” at the end of the draft: the Canadiens, the Lightning, and the Oilers.

His main criticism? Montreal seems to have placed enormous importance on size.

Wheeler understands the philosophy behind this approach, but he believes that Kent Hughes and his staff may have gone a bit too far by prioritizing only that trait.

The best example is, of course, the selection of Gleb Pugachyov with the 26th overall pick.

The Athletic reporter projects him as nothing more than a third-line player and believes the Habs may have selected him a bit earlier than necessary, even though that pick was more or less in line with his value on several draft boards.

His analysis doesn't stop there.

He's also not very convinced of Cooper Cleaves' potential. Scott Wheeler sees him primarily as a first-pair defenseman in the American Hockey League. However, he did appreciate the selection of Tim Runtso; even though he thought it was slightly early in the second round, he believes Runtso can become a third-pair defenseman in the NHL.

As for Parker Trottier, Wheeler is even harsher. He sees him more as a fourth-line player in the AHL.

Obviously, it's far too early to draw any conclusions.

Personally, I understand Scott Wheeler's point. However, I'm really not ready to say that the Habs are the big losers of the draft. Kent Hughes and his scouting team have earned the right to be given the benefit of the doubt.

In a few years, we'll know whether Wheeler was right… or whether the Canadiens were ultimately right to stick to their own plan.


In a nutshell

– Things are going badly.

– Congratulations.

– Yeah.

– Stay tuned.

– Will Patrick Kane want to leave, too?

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