Canadiens Tank Tracker: Canadiens Trending Toward High Pick

With each passing day, the Montreal Canadiens grow closer to securing a top pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Canadiens have had a tough month of March, with one of the most challenging schedules in the league during that span.

Couple that with the loss of Josh Anderson and Kaiden Guhle for the rest of the season, and the last stretch of the season will likely be a bumpy ride.

Although the Montreal Canadiens are still putting up valiant performances across the board, there has been some benefit to seeing them slide down the standings, as their NHL Draft Lottery odds continue to improve.

Further to that, teams that were under the Canadiens in the NHL standings, like the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and Arizona Coyotes have now all surpassed the Canadiens over the last two weeks and continue to build separation with the Habs in the points race.

Draft Lottery Odds

It was a great weekend for the Montreal Canadiens all around.

Not only did the Canadiens light up the Columbus Blue Jackets in their 8-2 victory, but their immediate rivals were also able to secure points; maintaining that separation from the Canadiens.

The Vancouver Canucks won both their games this weekend against the Dallas Stars and the Chicago Blackhawks, pulling them well ahead of the Canadiens.

The Canucks, who were once deadlocked with the Canadiens in the standings, now have a nine-point advantage over the Habs and sit in 23rd place with 73 points; making it unlikely that the Canadiens will catch them by the end of the season.

Pettersson scores two in the 3rd period and Delia backstops the #Canucks to a 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.@BudweiserCanada HIGHLIGHTS | https://t.co/82GbMiS6D1 pic.twitter.com/QTJRxHBdkD

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 27, 2023

The Philadelphia Flyers also continued their rise up the standings with their 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, making it their fifth-straight game with at least a point.

They’re now four points ahead of the Canadiens with a game in hand, and the two teams will face off on Tuesday for what will be an extremely important matchup for the Canadiens’ Draft Lottery outlook.

Even the Arizona Coyotes got in on the fun this weekend, completing an impressive comeback against the Colorado Avalanche in regulation to force overtime and gain the extra point in a 4-3 shootout loss.

The Coyotes have a very interesting schedule down the stretch, as they play Vancouver, San Jose and Anaheim in their final eight games of the season; meaning they could continue to move up the standings and clear a path for the Canadiens to secure top-5 odds in the Draft Lottery.

POINT #80
GOAL #36

CLAYTON KELLER pic.twitter.com/s9Frb0Tlyf

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 26, 2023

Season Outlook

As it stands, the Canadiens are in 28th place with 64 points.

Three and four points separate them from the Arizona Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively, while they are seven and eight points away from the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.

Unlikely to catch up to St. Louis or Detroit, it seems to have come down to a three-team race for the 5th-best odds in the NHL Draft Lottery.

The good news is that the Canadiens are more than likely to get a quality top-10 pick in this stacked 2023 NHL Draft, but, with each team still having eight or nine games left on the season, lots can still change.

The Tank Watch continues.