We’ve reached the top group of our 2025 Draft Rankings. This is a tier that some expected Montreal to be in at the start of the season but now, if they want to land one of the players on this list, they’ll have to swing a big trade to do so.

Braeden Cootes doesn’t have the highest of ceilings among players likely to go somewhere around the middle of the first round on Friday but he’s a legitimate centre who plays with plenty of energy and should be an impactful NHLer for a long time.

If the Habs are looking to add some size up front with some scoring touch, one player they may have their eye on is winger Lynden Lakovic, a player who might need a bit of extra development time to realize his potential.

We’ve reached the top half of our final first-round draft rankings. As things stand, the Canadiens pick once in this tier while also holding the next spot after that. This means that two players on this list could be options for them on Friday night.

Our next section of draft-eligible prospects covers one of Montreal’s current draft slots. It’s quite possible that by this time next week, someone from this group will be one of their newest players.

The next group of prospects in our final rankings are ones that Montreal would be unlikely to consider with their first-round selections but if they were to trade down or some of these players drop to the second round, they could garner consideration from the Canadiens.

Throughout this regime’s history and a logical look at the needs of the team, it remains doubtful that the Habs use both picks they currently hold in this round. Montreal owns Picks 41 and 49 in this round at the time of publication. Here are some players that appear poised to be selected in those ranks.