NHL Draft Lottery Reveals Canadiens Draft Pick Position

With the NHL’s Draft Lottery now in the books, Montreal Canadiens now know when their first-round pick take place at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

The Canadiens were able to maintain their place in the standings at 5th overall, narrowly missing out on the top selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Canadiens won the 2022 Draft Lottery and consequently, were awarded the first overall pick. They chose Slovak forward Juraj Slafkovsky first overall, opting to pass on players like Shane Wright, Logan Cooley, Simon Nemec, and David Jircek.

Slafkovsky had a rather difficult rookie season, though that was to be expected considering none of the players from the 2022 Draft were ready to play in the NHL.

This season, however, there’s a clear-cut consensus as to which player should be drafted with the first pick of the Draft.

And there’s no doubt as to his potential.

Phenom Connor Bedard is the type of prospect that can change the course of a franchise. He is being described as a legitimate generational player, one that may even rival the NHL’s reigning dominant force, Connor McDavid.

But even if Bedard was not part of the draft class, it would still be considered one of the most talented group of prospects available in recent history.

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Players like Adam Fantilli, Will Smith, Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson possess the type of skill that would lead them to be chosen first overall in most years.

As for the fate of their additional first-round pick at the upcoming Draft, the Canadiens will have to await the conclusion of the Florida Panthers versus Toronto Maple Leafs series, which is currently 3-0 in favour of the Panthers.

The NHL Entry Draft will take place in Nashville, Tenessee, from June 28 to June 29.