NHL Draft Preview - Part II - Who will the Habs take at No. 1?
They have it narrowed down to three players, and will probably take Shane Wright, but which of the three will ultimately turn out to be the best NHL player?
MONTREAL – In the days leading up to the draft, the Montreal Canadiens didn’t provide a whole lot of clarity when it came to the plans they have for their first No. 1 overall pick since they took Doug Wickenheiser 42 years ago. In a pre-draft media availability this week, GM Kent Hughes left all options open, both in terms of which player they will take and whether or not they will be dealing any of the eight picks they have in the top 100.
For example, Hughes said the Canadiens are still open to trading the first pick overall, which would be unfathomable. He also said the Canadiens might package some later picks to move up in the first round, perhaps as high as No. 2 overall. They’ve apparently narrowed their choice for the first pick down to one of the consensus top-three players – center Shane Wright of the Kingston Frontenacs, left winger Juraj Slafkovsky, a Slovak who is playing in Finland, and center Logan Cooley of the U.S. National Development Program.
But much of this is performative. The Canadiens are in the rare position of both hosting the draft and having the No. 1 overall pick, the first time that has happened since 1985 when the Toronto Maple Leafs hosted the proceedings and chose Wendel Clark. The chances they trade that pick and disappoint 20,000 people in the stands Friday night are as close to zero as you can get. It behooves the Canadiens to keep things mysterious so they can make a bigger splash when they do make the pick. Rest assured, the Canadiens know what they’re doing Friday night. They’re just not telling anyone.
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