Canadiens GM Must Weigh Risk Of Trading Up

The Montreal Canadiens enter day one of the NHL Draft with plenty of draft capital and a prospect pool that is budding with talent. What would it cost for general manager Kent Hughes to move up and draft a top 10-12 pick?

Jul 8, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; General view of the Montreal Canadiens table during the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre. Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis and General Manager Kent Hughes on the left. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens' prospect cupboard is well-stocked, but if Kent Hughes wishes to add another top forward talent to the fold, he must consider trading up to secure a top-10 pick; otherwise, that opportunity will be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Though the risk isn't minimal, in that Hughes could trade up and get his guy, but when the picks he dealt away finally roll around (16 and 17), what if two players are available that he had his sights set on entering the draft weekend?

Now, there is a high risk, high reward potential here, and you've to pay to play. However, it should be considered that trading up will give the Canadiens a chance to acquire a top forward or defence talent. A player that will potentially have an impact on the team in a year or two, compared to one who is more of a project and needs more seasoning.

Many believe that the talent drops significantly after the first 10 selections, so while there are guys that will slide down the board inevitably, the surest bet, if there are any, is to try and get your guy aggressively by moving up. It's a safer bet than hoping for a guy at 16 or 17 to be ready by 2026-2027 to help the Canadiens.

The Canadiens might regress in 2025-2026, depending on what Hughes is ultimately able to accomplish over the offseason, but having Michael Hage and a potential top-10 pick added to the fold in October 2026 would be seismic. What a fun option that could be for Ivan Demidov.

Take your pick, but after the top three selections, it's a bit of a rollercoaster projection-wise; in that many guys are projected to go to many different teams, and certainly players seem to have enamored certain clubs also. Matthew Schaefer is the near-consensus first selection, and then guys like Michael Misa, Anton Frondell, James Hagens and Porter Martone have had their names discussed in the drafts' top tier, or tier b behind Schaefer.

Things change on draft day, and nothing replicates the madness on the draft floor during the thick of selections, and numerous phone calls. For the Canadiens, however, they've become accustomed to the way Hughes becomes like a Hawk around the time of the draft.

Hughes is aggressive, and often gets exactly what he is after, so why wouldn't a top-10 pick be on his radar?

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