The Montreal Canadiens Could Move Up To By Trading Picks 26 & 33

The Montreal Canadiens are reportedly looking to move up in the 2022 NHL Draft, and they have the firepower to do so.

Montreal Hockey Now has heard from sources for over two weeks stating that the Montreal Canadiens have a real interest in moving up in the 2022 NHL Draft. The possibility of trading up into the top-10 to select some of the intriguing forwards likely available at that rank has been a topic of conversation ever since the Montreal Canadiens took top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki out for supper during the NHL combine.

Although the prospect of trading back into the top-10 is an intriguing venture for Montreal Canadiens fans, the Habs likely would not be able to jump into the Top-10 with the use of draft picks. In terms of noteworthy draft picks, they currently have the 1st, 26th and 33rd selections in the 2022 NHL Draft. It would take a substantial offer for the Canadiens to get back into the Top-10, one that would likely require a top roster player like Josh Anderson to be involved to move the needle. However, that doesn’t mean that the Canadiens couldn’T trade up with picks 26 and 33 to snag a top-10 calibre player who is sliding down the ranks.

How High Could Montreal Canadiens Move With 26+33?

If the Canadiens were going to try and package picks 26 and 33 to move up into the draft, Montreal Hockey Now’s draft pick valuation table indicates that the Canadiens would have enough value to trade into the range of 17th and 20th overall. There could be quite a few valuable prospects still available at that rank, as some believe top prospects like Brad Lambert or Frank Nazar could see their stock fall in favour of other players at more pressing positions for clubs picking between 10 and 15.

Should the Montreal Canadiens truly try to be aggressive and jump into the Top-10, one should expect extra assets to be involved. With teams calling on Josh Anderson, Mike Hoffman and Jeff Petry, the Canadiens could, in fact, be looking for additional assets to help them make that jump, all while giving them the flexibility to pick valuable players at the tail-end of the 1st round and the start of the 2nd round.