Canadiens Draft Talk: Analyzing Intentions For NHL Teams In Top 5

The 2024 NHL Entry Draft is just a couple of days away, which means the Montreal Canadiens are close to putting their hands on yet another top five prospect.

Of course, the position of the aforementioned prospect is up for debate. The Canadiens have made it quite clear they’re intent on drafting a forward, a logical approach given the David Reinbacher selection in 2023, but as we all know, intentions can change. If the desired forwards are off the board, the best player available could very well be a defenceman, putting the Habs in a rather delicate situation when it comes to acquiring forwards with elite talent.

To get a better idea of how the draft may unfurl, we can use the most recent information available to anticipate the choices made by the four teams that are scheduled to take to the podium before the Canadiens draft the fifth overall player at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

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1. San Jose Sharks

This is the only pick in the draft that is guaranteed. The San Jose Sharks will draft Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

This is where things get interesting. On the surface, you may think the Blackhawks are desperate to add a little insulation around Connor Bedard, and there’s certainly logic in that line of thinking. However, that’s the opposite of what I’ve heard from the Blackhawks camp. They’ve spent a lot of time scouting Michigan State games, and they believe Artyom Levshunov is the epitome of a complete defenceman, which is something they’ll need in their lineup going forward.

Now, here’s the rub. You hear a lot of things before a draft. Some people will sprint to social media to share every tidbit of information they hear, whether it’s legitimate or not. That’s not how I operate, as I will never be considered an insider, and I don’t need to pretend that I am one. Like most people in the industry, I hear a bevy of rumours, some good, some bad. The fact of the matter is that very few of them come to fruition. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all false, as negotiations break down and teams can change their draft intentions, but when I see someone who I trust confirm the information I have heard a few times already, I have no issues adding to the veracity of the claim.

In this case, Scott Powers, a colleague, has suggested it would be surprising if Chicago did not draft Levshunov. Scott does not delve into wild rumours, and I am certain he only offered this information because it was close to being ironclad.

Just so you’re prepared, I’ll be surprised if it’s not Levshunov.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) June 25, 2024

3. Anaheim Ducks

Anaheim is a team that has been linked to all the top prospects, a little like the Canadiens. Scott Wheeler, another colleague that I trust explicitly, has proposed the Ducks have shown great interest in forward Beckett Sennecke in recent weeks.

Scott dropping an actual bomb this morning regarding the potential for the Anaheim Ducks to surprise on Friday: https://t.co/5TIHBZep5y pic.twitter.com/xOcL3C3HKx

— Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) June 26, 2024

I wager that Scott’s information is a little more fresh than mine, but from what I have heard, the Ducks are very high on defenceman Anton Silayev, the hulking Russian who is currently playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL. And when I say they’re very high on him, I heard from a few NHL scouts that it’s essentially a lock.

Personally, I don’t believe any team is involved in a ‘lock’ this year, except for San Jose and Celebrini, but if the Ducks do decide to take the defenceman route, it bodes well for the odds the Habs will be able to select one of the best forwards in the draft.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

Here’s what we do know. The Blue Jackets have not yet made a decision as to the final intentions, to the point that they’ve promoted the fact that the fourth overall pick is up for grabs in a trade.

Waddell on trade options for the 4th overall pick: “We’re open.”

Says they’ll get a good player either way, but the price is high to get them to move back. Says other teams around them are looking at moving back too.#CBJ

— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) June 20, 2024

What does this tell us? The Blue Jackets are likely in the same situation as the Canadiens. Their true intentions will only be revealed once the first three picks have been made, leaving a distinct possibility they could end up moving down. Historically speaking, teams almost never trade out of the top five, which is why we shouldn’t hold our breath for a trade. As for their ideal draft targets, Cayden Lindstrom and Ivan Demidov are names that get mentioned a lot, alongside defencemen Sam Dickinson and Silayev. They’ve also apparently shown great interest in the other top defencemen in the draft, including Levshunov and Zayne Parekh.

Simply put, it’s impossible to get a read on the Blue Jackets at this particular time, but if I had to take an educated guess, I would say Lindstrom is at the top of their list followed by a contingency plan filled with the names of the top defencemen.