UNDER PRESSURE
Bergevin’s draft challenge
To use a baseball analogy, the Canadiens head into this weekend’s NHL entry draft needing a home run, a couple of doubles and a stolen base.
General manager Marc Bergevin has committed to a policy of building through the draft, but after six years of construction, the Canadiens look like a fixer-upper.
This year’s draft offers a rare opportunity to fill some of the holes in the Canadiens’ roster, either through savvy drafting or by using their many picks to acquire established NHL players.
Montreal has the No. 3 overall pick, their highest pick since Bergevin made Alex Galchenyuk his first pick at No. 3 in 2012. The Canadiens also have four picks in the second round, one in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.
The first round will be held Friday and there will be pressure on Bergevin and chief bird-dog Trevor Timmins to deliver a player who is ready to play in the NHL. This isn’t as simple as it sounds. Only two players from last year’s draft class — New Jersey ’s Nico Hischier and Philadelphia’s Nolan Patrick — played a full season in the NHL.
There’s more depth in this year’s draft and there’s a high-scoring winger available in Filip Zadina, who is following in Hischier’s wake in Halifax. But there are tantalizing rumours that the Canadiens may draft for need and take a flyer on Finnish centre Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Canadiens were interested enough in the Finn to treat him to a steak dinner during the draft combine this month in Buffalo.
The centre position is a black hole for the Canadiens, who struck out with Galchenyuk, although he was a useful winger. It would have been nice if the Canadiens obtained a centre when they gave up on Galchenyuk last week, but they acquired Max Domi, yet another winger who may be asked to try his hand at centre.
For a team dedicated to building through the draft, the departure of Galchenyuk leaves the team with only 11 players who were drafted by Montreal and that includes Nikita Scherbak, Brett Lernout and Mike McCarron, who have yet to prove they belong in the NHL on a fulltime basis.
Bergevin has had six first-round picks and he has traded his two best picks — Galchenyuk and Mikhail Sergachev. Defenceman Noah Juulsen looks like a keeper; centre Ryan Poehling is still in college and, as mentioned above, Scherbak and McCarron still have something to prove.
The next crucial element in this draft are those second-round picks — Nos. 35, 38, 56 and 62. In the Bergevin era, the Canadiens have uncovered Artturi Lehkonen and Jacob De La Rose in the second round.
The chances of a player making the NHL decrease in the later rounds, but the Canadiens have uncovered some gems deep in the draft. Brendan Gallagher was a fifth-round choice, while the major surprise last season was Victor Mete, the undersized 19-year-old defenceman who was a fourthrounder in 2016.
The Canadiens don’t have a pick in the final two rounds of the draft, but don’t discount the possibility of a trade to acquire a pick if the Canadiens see a player they like is still on the board. That was the case last June when the Canadiens traded for a seventh-round pick and selected goaltender Cayden Primeau.
The son of former NHL player Keith Primeau was the last of 21 goaltenders selected in the 2017 draft, but he has emerged as a top prospect. He was the third-youngest player in U.S. college hockey last season, but the Northeastern University freshman posted a 1.92 goals-against average. He had a .931 save percentage and four shutouts.
The players drafted on the weekend will be invited to a development camp June 29-July 1. They will be joined by players selected in the last two drafts as well as a number of undrafted juniors and U.S. college players.
While the undrafted players are always long shots, the development camp has in the past led to contracts for David Desharnais and current goaltending prospect Michael McNiven.
Notes: The Canadiens will open the regular season on Oct. 3. in Toronto. Their first home game will be Oct. 11 against the Los Angeles Kings. The full schedule will be announced later in the week.
ThErE will BE prEssurE on BErGEvin AnD CHiEF BirD-DoG TrEvor Timmins to DElivEr A plAyEr wHo is rEADy to plAy in tHE NHL.