Going into the draft lottery, many were hoping that if the Habs didn’t win the top pick, they’d at least get the second pick to get Ivan Demidov. They didn’t move up but they wound up with Demidov anyway as Montreal selected him with the fifth-overall pick on Friday night.
Earlier on Friday, the Habs parted with three draft picks to move up five spots to 21st overall. They weren’t able to move up any further but still landed a player they were targeting, selecting centre Michael Hage.
Welcome to HabsWorld Draft Central 2024, your one-stop source for all things draft-related. We’ll keep tabs on each selection here as well as provide links to our previous draft coverage.
The Habs have largely had the same group of right wingers for several seasons now. It’s a group that features some veteran underachievers while in terms of prospect depth, it’s not the deepest spot in the organization.
A few weeks ago, the Habs thought they had Laval’s coaching staff figured out with J-F Houle getting a three-year deal. However, that’s no longer the case as Houle has resigned to take on the same position with Clarkson University.
The Habs have emphasized trying to add down the middle in recent years with the additions of Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook. Even so, Montreal’s pool has a fair bit of depth on the left wing.
With the 2024 NHL Entry Draft less than two weeks away, it’s time for our final rankings. We begin with how the second round might look like and what players could be potential targets for the Habs.
The Habs had three junior-aged players on an NHL contract this past season, bringing the oft-mentioned ‘slide rule’ into play once again. Here is a breakdown of the changes to their contracts.
While it took a bit longer than some expected, the Habs have indeed agreed to terms with Oliver Kapanen, announcing on Saturday that they’ve signed the forward to a three-year, entry-level deal.
Owen Beck has shown plenty of promise since being drafted two years ago. He brings back memories of a certain impactful former Canadiens forward in Tomas Plekanec.