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Canadiens 2023 NHL Draft Targets With Florida’s Pick

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2 years ago

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Montreal Canadiens draft scouts

Fear not Montreal Canadiens fans, the Habs will have the opportunity to select a pretty good player with the Florida Panthers’ 1st-round pick.

There should be quite a few players available in the tail end of the 1st-round of the 2023 NHL Draft that would not only be solid additions to the Canadiens prospect pool, but could prove to be high-value selections at their given rank.

With the Florida Panthers now in the Eastern Conference finals, their pick is expected to fall to 29th overall, if the NHL betting odds have their way.

With the Montreal Canadiens looking to get quicker and more competitive, here are some options they could be looking at.

Ethan Gauthier

With Florida’s pick sliding to the late stages of the 1st-round, the highest-ranked QMJHL player is now in perfect range to be selected by his local team.

Ethan Gauthier, son of former NHLer and RDS analyst Denis Gauthier, plays a power forward’s game with some underrated skill.

Playing with the Sherbrooke Phoenix alongside fellow Montreal Canadiens prospect, Joshua Roy, Gauthier is at his best around the net; causing all kinds of chaos and driving hard to the high-danger areas.

He plays with a very physical edge and has very good shooting mechanics and skating ability.

If still available at 29th overall, he would be a smart pick for the Canadiens that are looking to add more competitiveness and talent to their roster.

Lukas Dragicevic

Initially viewed as one of the top defensive prospects in this class, Lukas Dragicevic took a small tumble down the rankings due to his lackadaisical defensive game and underwhelming playoff performance.

But, make no mistake, he is one of the best offensive defencemen available in this draft; and taking the right-shot defenceman at 29th overall would be solid value for a club looking to shore up that position.

Dragicevic possesses great offensive tools, such as his wide array of shooting options and some underrated playmaking ability.

He loves to join the rush as the fourth man to help promote offensive chance creation and is very good at maintaining possession in the offensive zone.

He would be a project for the Montreal Canadiens’ development team, but there could be a huge reward at the end of that process.

Oscar Fisker-Molgaard

The talented Danish forward had himself a very impressive season in Sweden this year.

Putting up a point-per-game offensive output with HV71’s J20 team, Fisker-Molgaard played 41 games in the SHL as a 17-year-old and put up four goals and three assists for seven points; playing primarily fourth-line minutes.

He plays a very mature and intense game; making him a strong two-way player; but he’s also able to thrive in transition due to his excellent puck protection and great skating ability.

Offensively, he likes to drive to high-danger areas without fear and create offence on the rush; but will need to improve his shot if he wants to finish those chances with regularity at the NHL level.

Tanner Molendyk

Tanner Molendyk is one of the smoothest skaters in this draft class.

Watching him jet up the ice with the puck on his stick is impressive, as he doesn’t break stride in possession and is able to attack pockets of space aggressively; taking the opposition off-guard.

Besides his skating, Molendyk has very underrated vision; finding passing lanes with ease and quickly getting pucks to open teammates through traffic.

His skating also helps him out defensively, as he’s a solid rush defenceman; killing plays before they have the chance to get into his zone and quickly starting the counter-attack for his team.

He’s risen up the rankings with authority over the last few months; as he continued to elevate his game and round out the defensive side of things.

Jayden Perron

Although Perron has the skill and hockey IQ to be selected far earlier than the 29th overall selection, his size (5-foot-nine,163-pounds) could see him slide; to the benefit of the Montreal Canadiens.

Perron was easily one of the most dynamic players in the USHL this season for the Chicago Steel; as his 24 goals and 48 assists for 72 points in 61 games made him one of the more productive players in the league.

He’s a very dynamic offensive player capable of making highlight-reel plays on the rush and set up his teammates for easy tap-ins on a regular basis.

His skating and agility make him one of the most elusive players on the ice, especially in this draft class; some may characterize it as almost a slippery style that allows him to flow through traffic and come out unscathed.

Perron has the potential to be a dangerous player at the NHL level, but, as per usual, the size risk may be too great for teams in the 15-25 range to take a chance on.

Oliver Bonk

Oliver Bonk, son of former Montreal Canadiens forward Radek Bonk, has had a rapid jump up the rankings over the second half of this season.

The six-foot-two, 180-pound right-shooting defenceman grew into a crucial role for the London Knights, playing behind Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux.

After only playing 10 OHL games last season, Bonk’s first, full OHL season was nothing short of impressive, putting up 10 goals and 30 assists for 40 points in 67 games; all while Mailloux received the top offensive missions.

The 18-year-old plays a strong defensive game; using his stick to get into passing lanes and breaking up plays on the rush. He plays a very mature game in his own end for such an inexperienced player, and got even better as the season went along.

He’s also quite mobile, with and without the puck; which he uses to get himself out of pinches and quickly start the breakout to push the offence the other way.

Some scouts believe that he’ll have more of an opportunity to develop his offensive game as Mailloux turns pro next season, meaning there could be even more upside to a player that has primarily had a defensive role.

 

*For more NHL betting lines and futures, head over to FanDuel

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