The Montreal Canadiens find themselves in a relatively unique position ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, which starts tonight. It’s not just that they head in with back-to-back picks (Nos. 16, via the Calgary Flames, and 17), although that does afford general manager Kent Hughes a great deal of flexibility to accomplish what he needs to get done, whether that’s to use them as trade bait to shore up his current roster or use them as intended and add to one of the league’s top prospect pipelines.
Regarding Door No. 2, according to some sources, the Canadiens were the youngest team ever to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, all things taken into consideration, the Habs are fairly “good.” They don’t necessarily need a deeper prospect pool, but, if Hughes does go that route, assuming opportunities to trade the picks don’t come to fruition, in which direction should he go? When taking the best player available becomes a bit of a crapshoot in the middle of Round 1, which positions become the clear priority for him to address? Here they are ranked in increasing order:
6. Left-Handed Defenseman
The Canadiens are so stacked on the left side on defense, that they played their eventual Calder Memorial Trophy-winning defenseman, leftie Lane Hutson, primarily on the right, against the Washington Capitals in Round 1. As it stands, they have no fewer than five lefties currently on the roster, four of whom are 24 or younger. You can add the Laval Rocket’s Adam Engstrom (who can also play the right) and William Trudeau to the list, as players who can contribute in a pinch.
It’s obviously possible the Canadiens trade veteran Mike Matheson, who’s projected to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Even if they do, they’ve at least got the bodies to ice a full complement of players at the position. However, because the corps is so young, there is a school of thought the alternate captain is more valuable to the team staying put.
Whether you agree with that assessment or not, if Matheson does stay, it further reinforces how much depth the Canadiens have on the left side. If the Habs do trade him though, it says a great deal about how they perceive their level of depth there organizationally speaking, that they would actually trade a player one season removed from scoring a career-high 62 points, who’s just 31. With that in mind, it makes close to zero sense for the Habs to draft another player at the position.
5. Goalie
At the very least, the Canadiens have a proven-capable No. 1 in Sam Montembeault, who’s going on just 29. Granted, his contract expires in 2027, at which point he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, but extending him, if that’s the direction the Habs want to go by that point in time, shouldn’t break the bank considering his career 80-84-28 record, 3.21 goals-against average (GAA) and .899 save percentage (SV%).
Those numbers might not be an accurate reflection of Montembeault’s capabilities, seeing as he’s played on some bad Canadiens teams. They do reinforce the sentiment he’s not an elite goalie, though. So, there’s room for improvement in net, meaning the Habs may very well choose to look elsewhere in a few seasons, with Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler each having a case to be the eventual heir to the throne.
Dobes proved to be a solid backup after getting promoted to the NHL last December, going 7-4-3 with a 2.74 GAA and .909 SV%. Meanwhile, Fowler, the team’s third-round pick (No. 69 overall) in 2023, consistently ranks atop top-goalie-prospect lists. For the record, Dobes was a 2020 fifth-round pick (#136). Even if the Canadiens are interested in drafting another goalie, the unique development curve at the position dictates using a first-round pick on one is a huge risk.
4. Right Winger
The wing is tricky, because the Canadiens have got players who can play both the left and right. As it stands though, the Canadiens are rife with wingers who typically line up on the right: Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Brendan Gallagher and, perhaps most notably, Ivan Demidov, who just came over from the Kontinental Hockey League as the team’s top prospect and a superstar talent.
While those are just four players, the first and last are just 21 and 19 years of age, each projecting as a top-six, if not top-line forward for the franchise for the next decade. So, while padding one’s depth at a position packed with so much sheer talent isn’t a stupid strategy by any stretch, it’s unlikely there would be as-sure things as either of them available there by the time the Canadiens take the proverbial podium. And drafting players who project as bottom sixers in the first round is a waste of draft capital, when players like that typically become available as free agents.
Bottom line: The Canadiens would be better served addressing needs at other positions.
3. Centre
The Canadiens almost had a carbon-copy situation come to pass down the middle, with Nick Suzuki leading the charge on the top line followed by 24-year-old Kirby Dach on Line 2. On paper, heading into 2023-24, they didn’t have to worry about the position for a long while. Two consecutive season-ending knee injuries (to the same knee) to Dach has brought into question if he has a future at the position (when he could more realistically end up yet another Habs right winger instead).
The Canadiens do have prospect Owen Beck, who will quite possibly make the team for good in 2025-26, but he projects as a bottom-six centre. They also have Michael Hage, who’s arguably their top current prospect, who could prove to be the solution, but the Habs are probably a few years away from finding out for sure, meaning they aren’t sure right now. And, while they do have significant depth organizationally speaking at centre, prospects at the position are like lottery tickets for a huge jackpot. You can never have too many. Picks 16 and 17 are in effect tickets here. It would be understandable if the Habs use one this summer to take another centre, as another insurance policy.
2. Left Winger
The team’s depth on the left side would look a whole lot better if the Canadiens knew what they had in Joshua Roy, who’s been deployed there whenever he’s gotten called up from the American Hockey League. The problem is, the soon-to-be 22-year-old has gotten called up on several occasions and hasn’t yet stuck. There have been flashes of top-six success, but never consistently enough for him to cement his status as a hypothetical top-six (or even NHL) forward.
Beyond Cole Caufield on the top line, they’ve really just got Josh Anderson and Alex Newhook as roster locks, but more and more they both look like middle-six certainties at best. It’s the same with Emil Heineman, who just enjoyed a modestly successful rookie season on the fourth line.
The Canadiens did shift Laine over to left wing when Demidov came over. However, you can’t really count on him staying long term, as his contract runs out next summer. Anderson’s expires a year later. All things taken into account, the position looks like a huge question mark a few years down the road, which could align with the point at which a potential draftee this weekend finally becomes ready.
1. Right-Handed Defenseman
On one hand, you’ve got an elite player in Hutson potentially playing on the right side on defense. On the other, you’re really only playing him there because you have too many bodies on the left and not enough on the right, Alexandre Carrier being the only other NHLer after David Savard retired.
True, David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux (and Engstrom) are top-tier prospects currently in the organization looking to take the next step. However, the general consensus is neither is ready in the immediate future, with Reinbacher, the team’s 2023 fifth-overall pick, notably having suffered a serious knee injury last preseason. Thankfully, his rehabilitation appears to have been a success, but you can never be too careful, especially when it comes to such a valuable position.
After all, right-handed defensemen are in incredibly high demand for a reason.
At first glance, the Canadiens to their credit, are adequately stacked on the right side. Most other teams would probably kill for the amount of depth they have there, which really just reinforces how well-positioned the Habs are in general, whether it’s to contend in the relatively near future or from a leverage standpoint, should they go the trade route. However, in a world in which they use one of if not both of their first-round picks at the Draft, their priorities should be crystal clear.
No one would blame the Canadiens were they to trade at least one pick for immediate help. In fact, it’s probably expected in most circles. However, standing pat can pay huge dividends as well, especially if Hughes picks the right players… at the right position. It will of course take a while for those hypothetical picks to pan out. However, for a team heading into Year 4 of what has been an incredibly successful rebuild so far, the long game seems to suit him quite well.
Something may have to give considering the sheer number of prospects in the organization. They can’t all make it. However, if a can’t-miss prospect (or two) should fall into your lap midway through the first round, that’s a golden opportunity in and of itself that you shouldn’t ignore, especially if they address very real needs.
