Montreal Canadiens
Updated Canadiens 2022 NHL Draft Ranks Following Recent Events
The Montreal Canadiens have 14 picks going into the 2022 NHL Draft, and recent events have caused some of them to shuffle around in the official selection order.
Thanks to some good fortune during the NHL Draft Lottery, the Montreal Canadiens will be selecting 1st overall in the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal. By finishing 32nd in the NHL standings this season, not only did the Montreal Canadiens have the best odds to win the Draft Lottery, they were also assured of picking first in rounds 2 to 7. This means, for example, that the Canadiens were confirmed to pick 33rd overall, the first selection in the second round, even without winning the Draft Lottery.
A total of three of those selections are still yet to be determined, as the Canadiens’ own draft picks originally belonging to the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to be decided. The final outcome in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will ultimately decide where certain picks of interest, most notably the Edmonton Oilers‘ 2022 2nd round pick, will rank on Draft Day, if at all.
As of now, the Montreal Canadiens’ first three picks in the 2022 NHL Draft are set in stone at 1st overall, 26th overall and 33rd overall. However, a compensatory 2nd round pick sent to the Minnesota Wild for failing to sign 2018 1st rounder Filip Johansson to an entry-level contract has bumped down every other selection currently owned by the Canadiens by one spot. The addition of a 33rd selection in the 2nd round of the 2022 NHL Draft, specifically at the 56th overall rank, has caused every pick to drop a peg from the late 2nd round all the way through the end of the 2022 NHL Draft.
With the rank of Montreal’s own draft picks now unlikely to move from here on out, here is a chart below displaying where each draft pick is projected to land. Those few that have yet to be officially decided are marked with a (*).
| Rank (* Projected) | Original Owner Of Pick | Acquisition Method |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Round | - | - |
| 5th overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 31st overall | Florida Panthers | Trade |
| 2nd round | - | - |
| 37th overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 3rd Round | - | - |
| 69th overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 4th Round | - | - |
| 101st overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 110th overall | Pittsburgh Penguins | Trade |
| 128th overall | Vegas Golden Knights | Trade |
| 5th Round | - | - |
| 133rd overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 144th overall | Calgary Flames | Trade |
| 6th Round | - | - |
| 165th overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
| 7th Round | - | - |
| 197th overall | Montreal Canadiens | Owned |
Key conditions on Edmonton Oilers’ 2022 2nd round pick:
- Oilers pick could move to a 2023 2nd round pick if the Oilers reach the Stanley Cup Finals and defenceman Duncan Keith plays top-4 minutes in the process.
- This is due to an early trade which saw the Edmonton Oilers send defenseman Caleb Jones and a conditional 3rd round draft pick in 2022 to the Chicago Blackhawks for Keith and forward Tim Soderlund.
- The Oilers’ 2022 3rd round pick would be upgraded to a 2022 2nd round pick if the above conditions are met, forcing the Oilers to then send Montreal their 2023 2nd round pick as compensation.
