And then, did you like your first round of the draft? In my opinion, many Canadian fans who haven’t had much to sink their teeth into for months will answer yes to that one.
During the day, Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and the Canadian received attention four times: during the trade with the Kings, when Celine Dion showed up on stage, when Ivan Demidov’s name was pronounced and when Michael Hage was obtained.
The CH therefore selected twice in the first round, in the end. It did not make any other transaction after the one involving the first choice of Los Angeles.
Did the CH have a perfect day? There is no such thing as a perfect day… but what the CH did came pretty close to what would have been perfect, let’s face it.
The proof? The Sharks drafted Macklin Celebrini and Sam Dickinson (11th overall, that one), which means the club has possibly acquired its #1 forward and #1 defenseman of the future… and yet, Corey Pronman (The Athletic) has the Canadiens first on his list of winners of the night.
The fact that Macklin Celebrini did not slip in the draft like Ivan Demidov plays in CH’s favor, but it says a lot about the Canadian’s day, all the same.
And that means we no longer talk about Matvei Michkov.
After all, we’ve said it 1000 times, but it’s important to repeat it: Ivan Demidov is not only the Canadian’s best hope, but he adds big talent, which was missing in the system.
With Demidov in the ranks, the CH has this talented player who can change everything.
Kent Hughes wasn’t afraid to say it: Demidov was number one on his club’s list. Celebrini was not on the list since everyone knew he was going to San Jose.
Hughes probably smiled when he saw Artyom Levshunov, Beckett Sennecke and Cayden Lindstrom starting in rows two through four.
The Canadiens’ GM says Demidov has been on the club’s radar for a long time. But by necessity, the club hoped that its interest in the talented striker would not be too visible.
That’s why the GM and VP didn’t go see him in Florida. The Canadian was represented, but not sending both boss was done in the hope of fooling the other teams.
As the draft approaches, everyone lies. – Elliotte Friedman, in a recent 32 Thoughts podcast
The addition of Demidov, a game-changer who grew up loving Kobe Bryant, was the thing to do. While I wouldn’t have said no to adding a defenseman who would have instantly become the club’s top blue line prospect, doing so while Demidov was available would have been a mistake.
And Kent Hughes knows that.
The Canadiens’ GM refused transaction offers to get out of the top-5. We assume that the Predators are back with Yaroslav Askarov. We know that the Flames, who saw Tij Iginla go out sixth, also talked to the Canadian. We wonder why, eh…
But the possibility of adding Demidov was too good to be true. There was no way the GM would trade his pick.
Then, the addition of Michael Hage (the first North American player drafted in the first round by the Canadiens since the Hugo era) is also interesting. And what I feel is that already, the fans like what they see. And not just because he speaks French…
When CH drafted Filip Mesar in 2022, there was no enthusiasm. But there, with Hage, there is one.
I’m not saying that Hage will be better than Mesar just because he seems more popular on a summer evening at 18, obviously. But what I’m saying is that the wave is positive towards him.
Obviously, talking about the 2021 series against Toronto helps make friends… but he was seen as a good selection before that.
I don’t know how upset the club is to have seen Sacha Boisvert, Trevor Connelly and Cole Eiserman go from 18 to 20, just before the CH’s choice. The CEO will not say that publicly if that is the case.
But it should be mentioned that yes, Hage was targeted by the CH when he acquired the 21st speaking rights. Kent Hughes even said this to the guys at 98.5 FM after the Ontario player was selected:
If he hadn’t been there, we would have traded our pick. – Kent Hughes on Michael Hage
He was the first choice of the CH for this choice. The Canadian had him higher on his list.
Even though many fans would have liked Sacha Boisvert (and the Canadiens too, in my opinion) or a QMJHL player, adding such a center to the organization chart is interesting. That’s what it takes, with a first-round pick.
Prolongation
Let’s remember that the Canadiens do not have a second-round pick at the moment. That said, that doesn’t mean everything since trades are a possibility for the Canadiens.
And it’s not just choices that are at stake, let’s be clear…
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