By the time the draft rolls around to Montreal’s picks at 16 and 17, there will be a temptation to take some big swings on toolsy players.  But there are also safe and dependable players to take in that range.  Logan Hensler falls in the latter category but will merit serious consideration if he’s still on the board when the Canadiens are picking.

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.

There is a thought that throwback, old-school defencemen aren’t as important in today’s NHL.  But Kashawn Aitcheson is a combination of that old-school player with enough skill to be an impactful player for an NHL team down the road, warranting consideration at Montreal’s two first-round selections if he’s still on the board.

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. 

There’s a high-scoring forward in this upcoming draft, with a surname very familiar to Montreal fans. Justin Carbonneau is that highly touted player, and although he’s no relation to Canadiens legend Guy Carbonneau, he is ranked in this year’s draft around the middle of the first round.

Vinzenz Rohrer has taken a slower development path than a lot of prospects but it has worked well for him and he was rewarded for his efforts Saturday with the team announcing that they’ve signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Carter Bear had a very productive draft-eligible year in the WHL before suffering a season-ending injury late in the year. Could that injury make him a candidate to fall to 16th and 17th where the Habs are selecting?

Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent helped lead his team to an impressive run that saw them make the Final Four in the AHL this season. Along the way, he may not have only helped the NHL chances of several prospects but also his own chances of getting back to the top level.

The Eastern Conference Final was going to be a challenge for Laval, going up against a much older group in Charlotte. But few saw things playing out the way they did with the Rocket losing handily in the first three games of the series before a heart-breaking late goal in the fourth game ended the series in a sweep.

After three tough losses to start the Eastern Conference Final, Laval was playing to keep their playoff hopes alive on Tuesday. They had their best game of the series by far but a late goal from Jesse Puljujarvi gave Charlotte a 3-2 win and the series sweep.