It only took 72 games for it to happen, but the first three-game win streak of the season for the Montreal Canadiens is no fluke. The team has started to improve under head coach Martin St. Louis, and his emotional return to the bench after taking personal leave has inspired his team.
Related: Canadiens Market Pressures Force New Draft Strategies
With 10 games left in the 2023-24 season, they’re last in the Atlantic Division and 27th in the NHL. Is that still too high in the standings for them to get some more top-end talent at the NHL Draft? No. There will be several players in that range that could provide general manager (GM) Kent Hughes with a scoring forward the team needs in its system.
Canadiens Pick Progress Over Tanking
If the Draft Lottery were to happen today, Montreal, who has the sixth-worst record in the league, would, according to Tankathon, have a 34.1% chance of staying at that position, yet have the highest probability of picking seventh overall (41.4% chance). This does point to the fact that fans need not worry about draft position much at all at this point as they are likely to remain in this range.
If a team had to choose, being forced to choose seventh overall and seeing growth in their young core’s game would be far more desired than getting to draft at fifth overall. No one wants to see a team landing top 10 picks every year for a decade. Just ask the fans of the Buffalo Sabres, who would happily trade a few of those high picks to watch their team in the playoffs, which last happened in 2011. That’s 13 years, and in that time the team never drafted lower than 13th overall. This isn’t to denigrate the Sabres, who have had reasons as to why their rebuild has been problematic, it is simply to point out that the desire to tank is not always ideal for a rebuilding team.
No, instead, management is looking to see improvement in their young players. For Montreal, this season has provided them with some answers, and growth. Cole Caufield, while not scoring at the pace he wanted, has become a more complete player, adding playmaking skills to a lethal shot. With his repaired shoulder getting another offseason of training, it should return to normal, and now defences will have to respect his pass, which should open lanes for his shot, helping him increase his goal total.
Nick Suzuki has had yet another season of growth. This time, his first 30-goal season, and is on pace to set a career-high in points as he is on pace for 78 points, making him the first 70-point player since Max Domi in 2018-19, and the highest point total since Alex Kovalev scored 84 points in the 2008-09 season.
Completing the top line is Juraj Slafkovsky. He began the season on the fourth line with limited ice time and no role on the special teams. Now, he is a critical part of the top line and the power play and a new franchise record for most points by a teenager in a single season. More importantly, his growth has also come with consistency as he has had eight and nine-game point streaks, and he has only begun to tap into his potential.
Canadiens’ Needs and Approach
Everyone wants the “best player available” (BPA) but sometimes a club needs to place value on certain aspects that make a player the BPA for them. That means that their scouts may place a higher value on certain traits than other teams or private scouting services would, making their lists look somewhat different.
“…part of our evaluation we’re not just evaluating hockey players, we’re evaluating character, we’re trying to evaluate their ability to deal with that type of pressure on a consistent basis.”
– Kent Hughes
In a market like Montreal, where the spotlight shines brightly on players, good and bad, it is important to find those who can deal with that, and even thrive under it. But their list will also place a significant value on other skills. Firstly, on the actual hockey skills, skating, passing, etc. But also hockey IQ, which can allow them to play at a high pace demanded by their head coach. Add in a high compete level, some size, and an ability to perform under pressure (ie: playoffs) and then you have a basis to look at who Hughes is likely to select in 2024.
Canadiens’ Wish List
The debate on social media of the Canadiens getting to pick at fifth versus seventh isn’t a meaningful one as the players available at that range all fall into the same tier of prospect. Hughes doesn’t have to state what the team’s needs are. It’s clear to anyone who has watched this team all year – offence. After 72 games, they sit 27th in goals for with only 196, putting them on pace for 223 goals, which is lower than their 2022-23 season total of 227.
Who is available for Montreal in that range that can help? Macklin Celebrini will go first, and winning the lottery is the only hope of selecting the Boston University standout. It is also hard to imagine that Ivan Demidov will still be on the board by the Habs’ pick. However, with so many high-quality defensemen available, there will be several forwards to choose from when Hughes goes up to the podium in Las Vegas to make his selection.
Cayden Lindstrom
At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Cayden Lindstrom boasts the size NHL teams love to add to their lineups, especially at center. He is big, he is tough, he’s physical and plays with an edge, all attributes that make him a highly attractive prospect. Larger framed players take time to develop, and Lindstrom is no exception.
His development in terms of reaching his NHL potential will take a few seasons, but this is the type of player that should be worth the wait. His production is as impressive as his size, with 27 goals in 32 games played. Lindstrom boasts a rare combination of size, above-average skating skills, the ability to make plays in tight areas, and high hockey intelligence. He is still developing and hasn’t put his game all together yet, but has all the tools in his size, skills, and hands that give him an extremely high potential ceiling.
Konsta Helenius
Konsta Helenius is the top Finnish-trained player in this draft class, and he is exactly what you would expect. He is a competitive and highly intelligent player, whose hockey IQ is his top asset. That’s saying a lot as his skating is excellent as well as his playmaking skills. He excels as a playmaking two-way center and at 18 years old, is already a top-six player with Jukurit in the Liiga. His mature defensive game is notable as he is used in shutdown situations and is outstanding at forcing turnovers, which he can then use to generate offence in transition. His 14 goals and 36 points in 51 Liiga games demonstrate that his projection as a top-six center is a safe call, and his projected floor is a top-nine, which makes him a “safe pick”.
Tij Iginla
If you could draft a Jerome Iginla-style forward, would you? Because his son, Tij Iginla is going to be available in the second half of the top 10 picks at the 2024 Draft. Tij is one of the fast risers in this draft class, and while he is seen as a bit of a reach at 7th overall in March, that attitude may change in June. That being said, he has a high hockey IQ, which allows him to play with pace. He has NHL bloodlines, which has allowed him to see how a star handles the pressure of playing in a Canadian market. He is also competitive and has a nose for the net.
There is also a hint of some old-school style, similar to his father, as Iginla relishes battling along the boards and at the net front and can flash a mean streak at times, but his overall style of play isn’t as physically aggressive as his father’s was.
Cole Eiserman
Cole Eiserman is perhaps the most naturally gifted goal scorer in the 2024 NHL Draft class. He is also one of the youngest players in that class as his Aug. 29 birthday is just weeks away from eligibility for the 2025 Draft. The knock on him is if he can play a more complete game. Something the head coach of Boston University, where Eiserman has committed, believes can be achieved.
“He’s very capable of playing a complete game. Of the guys his age, he has always been able to score. It’s actually incredible. Like he can just score. But he’s got a lot more to his game as well, and we’re looking forward to helping him develop.”
– Jay Pandolfo (from ‘Scott Wheeler, Who is Cole Eiserman, really? Behind the 2024 NHL Draft’s complicated top scorer’, The Athletic, March 22, 2024)
He projects as a top-line scoring threat, but knowing what his value at the NHL level is going to be beyond that is where the projections will come into play. He isn’t physical, but as a sniper, that isn’t expected. What he is, however, is a fierce competitor, has a desire to constantly improve and wants to be coached and work on his game. He will take a couple of years before making the leap from the NCAA to the professional ranks, but he does provide a need for Montreal, a potential elite goal scorer.
Bottom line, the Canadiens may have updated their approach to the draft and how they make their picks, but at the end of the day, the problems the team faces are still the same. They need scoring, and no matter how they play in the final 10 games of the NHL season, they will still be selecting in the top 10, which does provide them with several options that fit their requirements.
