After a frustrating season that saw them finish dead last, the Habs anxiously waited on Tuesday to see if they’d hold onto the top pick in the Draft Lottery. They were able to do so and will have the number one selection on July 7th.
It will mark the first time since 1985 that the team hosting the draft will be the team with the top selection. It’s also the sixth time in franchise history that Montreal will have the top pick and the first time since 1980 that they picked first (which was Doug Wickenheiser).
Shane Wright has been the presumptive top pick of this draft class for the last couple of seasons but there has been some speculation that someone could unseat him from that spot. Logan Cooley, another centre, isn’t as much of a two-way player as Wright while defencemen Simon Nemec and David Jiricek could also be in the mix as well. GM Kent Hughes and his scouting staff will now have the next couple of months to really drill down on their options and with Wright’s Kingston Frontenacs still in action in the OHL playoffs, there will be more opportunities for in-person evaluation as well.
There were some nervous moments when the teams were being revealed in inverse order when New Jersey jumped up from their original fifth selection inside the top three. They were victorious in the draw for second overall, meaning the draft order for the first round is as follows:
1. Montreal Canadiens
2. New Jersey Devils
3. Arizona Coyotes
4. Seattle Kraken
5. Philadelphia Flyers
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (via Chicago Blackhawks)
7. Ottawa Senators
8. Detroit Red Wings
9. Buffalo Sabres
10. Anaheim Ducks
11. San Jose Sharks
12. Columbus Blue Jackets
13. New York Islanders
14. Winnipeg Jets
15. Vancouver Canucks
16. Buffalo Sabres (via Vegas Golden Knights)