Habs set for a busy 2024 Entry Draft with 10 picks

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes gets ready for another draft night where his team has 12 picks to make. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

Habs fans will be watching what the Montreal Canadiens will do with their ten picks in the 2024 draft, most notably picks five and 21 in the first round.

The 2024 NHL Draft takes place on June 28-29 in Las Vegas.

The Habs have the fifth pick for the second year in a row, having selected defenceman David Reinbacher with the no. 5 pick in 2023.

A potential target for the Habs' first pick is Ivan Demidov, a highly-skilled, explosive forward.

However, the six-foot, 192-pound Russian southpaw may hear his name called earlier than pick no. 5.

"I think we'd all be shocked if they didn't take him," said TSN 690 Radio host Mitch Melnick about Demidov. "The question is: will he be available? If he's not available, they've got to go with [another] forward."

Melnick noted that the Habs already have plenty of defenceman prospects.

Another forward option is six-foot-three-inches tall, goal-scoring centre Cayden Lindstrom from the tiny B.C. town of Chetwynd.

However, the 18-year-old suffered a herniated disk during the past season, which could raise concerns about the longevity of his NHL career.

The Habs will likely have forwards Beckett Sennecke and Tij Iginla — son of hall of famer Jarome Iginla — at their disposal.

The Habs have not shied away from trading for NHL forwards at the draft in recent years under General Manager Kent Hughes.

The Habs traded first-round draft picks to acquire Kirby Dach at the 2022 draft and Alex Newhook the day before the draft in 2023.

The team moved its second selection up five spots from the 26th pick to the 21st pick, but could still put the pick to a similar use.

"I could see the Canadiens making a trade like that this weekend as well," Melnick said.

The Canadiens own ten total picks across all seven rounds of the draft, which begins at 7 p.m. on June 28.