There has been a fair bit of trading in the NHL so far in readiness for the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft which will be held in Vegas tonight and tomorrow. The Montreal Canadiens finally joined the party with less than three hours to go before the draft. Here’s what general manager Kent Hughes did, and my take on why he did it.
The Trade
The Canadiens had two picks in the first round of the draft, the fifth-overall pick — which we’ve talked about so much in the last few weeks — and the 26th-overall pick which they acquired by trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets earlier in the season.
Hughes decided that a 26th-overall pick was not enough for him and he traded that pick and the 57th and 198th-overall picks to the Los Angeles Kings for their 21st-overall pick. This means the Canadiens now have 10 picks in the draft rather than twelve and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hughes tried to move up a bit more.
This is not the first time Hughes has made some trades on draft day: back in 2022 he had traded Alexander Romanov to the Islanders to acquire the 13th-overall pick which he then put in a package to obtain Kirby Dach. Does this trade mean Montreal has its eye on a player who would have been gone at 26th? Or is Hughes not done yet?
Possible Outcomes for Canadiens
It’s a well-known fact that the Canadiens would like to improve their top-six forward group. For years they have drafted a lot of blueliners, but to win a hockey game, you also need to score goals, especially when you don’t have Carey Price in goal anymore.
This season, the Canadiens struggled offensively once again, and a couple of talented forwards sure wouldn’t help. Could Hughes be trying to work out another Dach-like trade by moving from the 26th-overall pick to the 21st pick? I wrote yesterday about Montreal looking into Rutger McGroarty, who has reportedly requested a trade from the Jets. He could try to include that 21st-overall pick as part of his offer to the Jets.
Related: Canadiens Should Go After Jets’ Rutger McGroarty
He could also be trying to get someone else from another team to improve his top six. However, the Canadiens did meet with Cole Eiserman this week, and they might just be moving up to the draft and hoping he’ll drop a few spots. Mind you, nobody said Hughes was done trading before or during the draft. He still has time to move up again.
The 21st-overall pick could also be used to trade along with an established player such as Mike Matheson. The defenseman has been in the rumors of late and this season was the best of his career. I do not know a lot of general managers who wouldn’t want to have a defenseman who’s able to 62 points in his season. A 21st-overall pick and Matheson sure is a package of value, but who could be the target? Darren Dreger reports the Canadiens are still trying to move up, and I wonder if Tij Iginla could be the target in that instance.
As things stand, there is very little we know and so many options are available to every team to improve. Hughes has not disappointed in his first two drafts, getting Juraj Slafkovsky and Dach (by trade) in 2022 and, getting Newhook (by trade on the eve of the draft) and David Reinbacher in 2023. Is it so surprising the Canadiens’ fans are expecting some fireworks? I don’t think so. Personally, I don’t believe the Canadiens will be drafting at 21st, but you never know…
