Rank Of Canadiens’ 1st-Round 2023 Draft Picks Almost Confirmed

The Montreal Canadiens are one Boston Bruins win away from securing two picks in the first 17 selections of the 2023 NHL Draft.

After the Bruins dropped the Florida Panthers by the score of 6-2 to win Game 4, the series now sits at 3-1 for the Bruins heading back to Boston.

The Panthers are now on the brink of elimination, with their backs against the wall, as a loss would see the Bruins move on to the second round of the NHL Playoffs.

To make matters worse for the Panthers, Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron has been deemed as a likely participant in Game 5 on Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston.

The Bruins, who have a few injured players that have had difficulty getting into their lineup, will be extra motivated to close out this series as quickly as possible.

If the Panthers were to lose any of the three potential remaining games in this series, they will be eliminated.

NHL betting odds currently have the Boston Bruins as a -225 favourite going into Wednesday night’s Game 5 matchup.

By virtue of being the last team to qualify for the NHL Playoffs, the Panthers’ 1st-round pick would slot in at 17th overall, giving the Canadiens a pretty valuable second selection in a loaded 1st round.

The Montreal Canadiens acquired this pick prior to the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline along with a 2022 4th-round pick and prospect Ty Smilanic for the services of veteran defencemen Ben Chiarot.

Chiarot played out to the rest of the 2022-2023 season, and the first two rounds of the 2022 NHL Playoffs, before leaving the Panthers to sign a four-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings.

It would have been very difficult to imagine that this selection would be this high a year ago, but the Florida Panthers’ struggles were the Montreal Canadiens’ gain this season.

The Canadiens would have many options with a 17th overall pick, as they could use it to select an intriguing prospect, package with another asset to trade up or trade it in a Kirby Dach-like trade for an NHL-ready prospect.

The Canadiens’ own 1st-round pick is yet to be decided, as the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery will determine where they’ll be selecting first on June 28, but it’s understood that it will be, at worst, in the first seven selections.

There’s still hockey to be played for the Panthers, but the Montreal Canadiens have to be licking their chops at the idea of having two solid picks in a class as coveted as the 2023 NHL Draft.

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