The Habs are shooting to nab the most talented player with the third overall choice in Friday's NHL Entry Draft, but they also want character.
"I played with players who had twice as much talent as me," said incoming GM Marc Bergevin. "And some never made the NHL."
"When we talk to prospects, we ask what hockey means to them and what the Montreal Canadiens mean to them," said Bergevin.
He then weighs their replies, not just verbally but in what their body language tells him.
"I look to see if I'd feel comfortable with this person," said the GM, who noted that he had been disappointed after meeting a few of the prospects he had been interested in.
Bergevin doesn't necessarily object to inflated egos.
"All players have an ego. Instead, I watch how a player acts with his teammates. Duncan Keith has an ego, but that's what helps it to be better," said Bergevin, referring to a Blackhawk star from his days in Chicago.
He watches out, however, for players who think they are better than they actually are.
"That's dangerous," he said.
The first round of the NHL draft takes place Friday in Pittsburgh and the next six rounds continue Saturday.
The new player should become a fixture for the team, in Bergevin's eyes.
"That player will be part of our foundation for the next 10 yeas," he said.
Bergevin admitted that he has been fielding calls asking to trade his pick and said he has been listening to all offers.
Top Habs scout Trevor Timmins said that fans won't be disappointed with their new Hab.
"I think the player we choose will excite fans," said Timmins. "We hope that the player will join the team sooner rather than later and help us move forward."
Timmins admitted that the lack of standout talent made his life more difficult.
But that doesn't mean that it's a meager harvest.
"You can't judge a draft before five years, before that, it's too early to judge," he said. "But I'm sure that some of these players will play in the NHL next season."
The Canadiens are thought to need more help up front than on defence, where Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi look like they could join the club in the short or medium term.
Bergevin said he'll take the best player available, even if it's a goalie, a comment which made some wonder if Malcolm Subban, could join his big brother P.K. on the team.
"Right now, we do not have young goalie in the organization and it is important that the wheel continues to turn," said Bergevin.
Malcolm Subban could be drafted late in the first round, but the Canadiens will also have the third choice of the second round. So the chance of a second Subban coming to town isn't out of the question.
The Canadiens choose after the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets. It is the highest the team has drafted since 1980 when the team chose Doug Wickenheiser first overall. Since then the Canadiens chose Petr Svoboda fifth overall in 1984 and Carey Price fifth overall in 2005.
