Draft: Canadian “more than happy” to stay at No. 5

We’re six days away from the first night of the draft. It’s about time it happened.

But in the meantime, there are some deals being made that, in my opinion, are fun to follow. It spices up the off-season a bit, and allows us to evaluate all the possibilities on the Habs’ table.

Because, in fact, that’s what Habs GM Kent Hughes is doing. The Quebecer makes sure to evaluate every possibility on the table to see if there’s a better way of doing things.

And that involves not only deciding which prospect makes the most sense for the club, but also potential transactions involving the #5 pick, inherited following a poor season.

Because yes, everything is evaluated. We know that some teams above the Flanelle have received a call from 514 to evaluate the possibility of shuffling the deck at the top of the pyramid.

We also know that, if need be, the club could move down.

That said, I don’t necessarily believe that Kent Hughes wants to move down, given that he’s in “draft the best possible player” mode right now. Nor do I think his chances of moving up are excellent, because moving up into the top-4 is rare.

His best chances are probably to stay put and make do with the #5 pick. And according to Darren Dreger, it would appear that the Habs are “more than happy” to stay at #5.

I really believe that Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and Will Smith will be the first four players selected, and that the Habs will have to dip into a bank of prospects that includes Matvei Michkov, but that he won’t be coming to Montreal.

Who do you prefer between Zach Benson, Ryan Leonard, Dalibor Dvorsky, David Reinbacher and company?

In bursts

– The issue continues to be the talk of the town.

– Maybe there’s a lack of fun in the city.

– Big win for the Bears in the AHL.

– A page turns in Toronto. Will this help the coach?

– To be followed with attention.