Canadiens 2022 NHL Draft Picks Could Be Finalized By Weekend

The Montreal Canadiens have 14 picks going into the 2022 NHL Draft, and all of their selections should be finalized within the next week, possibly even by the weekend.

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.

The final outcome in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will ultimately decide where the last draft pick left to be determined will fall. That final draft pick is Tampa Bay Lightning’s 4th round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, which was acquired in exchange for Montreal’s 2021 4th round pick during the 2021 NHL Draft last summer.

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 in the draft, including those 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 set in stone from here on out, here is a chart below displaying where each draft pick is set to land. Tampa’s 4th round pick is marked with a (*), as it is yet to be confirmed.