A hallmark of a young team is that they can sometimes struggle when momentum shifts to their opponent. That’s exactly what happened to the Habs on Thursday night as they fell 4-1 to Pittsburgh.
As this year’s midseason Ranking comes closer to its conclusion, we arrive to the section where players are realistic options for the Habs’ top pick this summer. Which ones are realistic targets? Which players should they stay away from? Why are some positionally unfit to become Hab prospects?
Montreal played a relatively strong game on Thursday night, but there were important momentary lapses and the top-ranked Rangers made them pay dearly for those sequences as the Habs dropped a 7-4 decision at MSG.
As we moved to the 17-24 sections of our midseason rankings, these prospects won’t be on the radar with Montreal’s own first-round pick. However, as things stand, the pick they acquired from the Sean Monahan trade should land in this range, meaning these players should be garnering consideration from their scouts.
The Habs came out of the All-Star break on Tuesday and got off to a great start in Washington, scoring three goals in the first period. They were able to hold that lead the rest of the way, collecting the 5-2 victory.
Now armed with an extra first-round pick following the Sean Monahan trade, the Habs now hold two first-round selections, one of which is likely to come near the back of the round. With that in mind, here are the prospects currently ranked 25-32 in our draft rankings.
What might June 2024 have in store for the Habs? We surely don’t know at this point in the season, but let’s dive into some potential draft targets in the second round for this year’s Midseason Draft Rankings.
Montreal had a chance to get some revenge for their loss last week in Ottawa on Tuesday night but they were let down by a lack of effort early and a struggling power play. The end result was the Senators picking up the 4-1 victory.
Montreal’s struggles on the second half of back-to-back nights continued on Thursday in Ottawa as they were down early and could never recover, falling 6-2 to the Sens.
The Habs squandered a two-goal lead early in the third period on Wednesday night in New Jersey but a late goal from Cole Caufield allowed Montreal to pick up the 3-2 victory.