The dust has settled as Montreal Canadiens fans and pundits begin making sense of a wild first round of the NHL Entry Draft.
Up until shortly after 7 p.m., most had Habs GM Kent Hughes naming centreman Shane Wright with the first pick, but he went with man-mountain winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
Then Hughes traded picks (via the New York Islanders) for centre Kirby Dach, the Chicago Blackhawks' third overall pick in 2019.
Though something of a surprise at the time, the pick and trade make sense for TSN 690 Habs commentator Dan Robertson.
"When they knew they were getting Dach, there was no reason to draft a centre," said Robertson. "Slafkovsky has the biggest ceiling of anyone."
With Dach and Slafkovsky, the Canadiens are faster and bigger, and now it remains to be seen what happens in the latter rounds of the draft.
"They'll need a veteran or two on D," said Robertson.
The Habs drafted another centreman with the first pick in the second round, selecting Owen Beck out of Mississauga, Ontario. Montreal added defenceman Lane Hutson with the 62nd pick.
Montrealer Noah Warren went to the Ducks at the 42nd pick and Habs GM Kent Hughes' son, Jack Hughes, was drafted by the L.A. Kings at pick 51.
ROUND TWO
- Montreal Canadiens - Owen Beck
- San Jose Sharks (from ARI) - Cameron Lund
- Seattle Kraken - Jagger Firkus
- Arizona Coyotes (from PHI) - Artem Duda
- Washington Capitals - Ryan Chesley
- Toronto Maple Leafs - Fraser Minten
- Chicago Blackhawks - Paul Ludwinski
- Detroit Red Wings - Dylan James
- Buffalo Sabres - Topia Leinonen
- Anaheim Ducks - Noah Warren
- Arizona Coyotes (from SJ) - Julian Lutz
- Columbus Blue Jackets - Luca del Bel Belluz
- San Jose Sharks (from NYI via ARI) - Mattias Havelid
- New Jersey Devils - Seamus Casey
- Minnesota Wild - Hunter Haight
- Vegas Golden Knights - Matyas Sapovaliv
- Seattle Kraken - Jani Nyman
- Dallas Stars - Christian Kyrou
- Los Angeles Kings - Jack Hughes
- Detroit Red Wings - Dmitri Buchelnikov
- Anaheim Ducks - Tristan Luneau
- Boston Bruins - Matthew Poitras
- Winnipeg Jets (from STL via NYR) - Elias Salomonsson
- Minnesota Wild - Rieger Lorenz
- Chicago Blackhawks (from MIN) - Ryan Greene
- Seattle Kraken (from TOR) - Niklas Kokko
- Calgary Flames - Topi Ronni
- Carolina Hurricanes - Gleb Trikozov
- Seattle Kraken (from FLA via CGY) - David Goyette
- Montreal Canadiens (from EDM) - Lane Hutson
- New York Rangers - Adam Sykora
- Ottawa Senators - Filip Nordberg
- New York Islanders - Calle Odelius
The Canadiens also have the following late-round picks:
- Round 3, Pick No. 75 - Vinzenz Rohrer, C
- Round 3, Pick No. 92 - Adam Engstrom, D
- Round 4, Pick No. 127 - Cedrick Guindon, LW
- Round 5, Pick No. 130 - Jared Davidson, C
- Round 6, Pick No. 162 - Emmett Croteau, G
- Round 7, Pick No. 194 - Petteri Nurmi. D
- Round 7, Pick No. 216 - Miguel Tourigny, D
