First-Round Picks Available To Montreal Canadiens On Waivers

The Montreal Canadiens have an opportunity to add a 2019 first-round pick to the mix, as the Calgary Flames have placed Jakob Pelletier on waivers.

Pelletier, 23, was chosen 26th overall, and has had a hard time cracking the Flames’ roster, despite some solid play in the AHL. To be fair, the Flames haven’t exactly given him an overabundance of ice time during his 37 NHL games that were spread over the course of three seasons. The Quebec City native managed to score four goals and six assists in that stretch.

His AHL production, on the other hand, has been excellent. Pelletier scored 48 goals and 63 assists in 119 games for the Calgary Wranglers, resulting in an impressive 0.93 points per game pace. Pelletier can play down the middle of the ice and the wing, which means he brings a certain level of versatility to the mix, and he certainly seems to have some untapped offensive talent.

He does project as the type of player general manager Kent Hughes would be willing to invest in as a reclamation projection, however, there are some red flags at play when it comes to adding him to the Canadiens’ lineup.

The first is that he’s a diminutive forward, at 5’9″ and 170lb. I have no issue suggesting smaller players are underappreciated in the NHL, but we also have to be realistic when it comes to adding more short players to the lineup, as there’s a point of diminishing returns in terms of overall value.

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Additionally, when evaluating the potential opening-night roster, there are no job openings available for a player coming from an outside source. The Canadiens could opt to return Oliver Kapanen to Sweden, or send one of Alex Barre-Boulet or Michael Pezzetta to the AHL, but neither of those situations are ideal when you consider Pelletier is far from a sure thing, and the available roster spots would not guarantee the type of ice time necessary to help a prospect find his scoring rhythm.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Some will be quick to point to Paul Byron’s statistics before the Canadiens gave him a legitimate chance to play in the NHL, and while there’s some merit to the argument Pelletier simply needs more ice time, there are many more examples of players playing quite well in the AHL, but failing to find a roster spot in the NHL. I’d also suggest Pelletier probably wouldn’t move the needle, and if we’re being honest, the Canadiens already have a few prospects of his ilk in the system.

The same can be said about Raphael Lavoie, who was added to waivers by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. He’s an interesting option, but given the current roster situation in Montreal, I simply don’t see a scenario in which claiming Lavoie makes sense. Nick Suzuki’s brother, Ryan, also hit waivers on Sunday, and while there was a time when adding the 2019 first-round pick to the organization made sense, the Canadiens are looking to take the next step in their rebuild, which connotes they need to add players with a proven track record to the mix.

Montreal Canadiens Waivers Priority

If the Habs do decide to make a waiver claim, they will have the fifth-highest waiver priority, which means only the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Columbus Blue Jackets have a higher priority.

ON TOPIC: NHL Waiver Wire Priority List As The 2024-25 Season Opens

It’s also worth noting the Canadiens could claim all three players, and it would not impact their waiver priority, as the current list will stay in effect until November 1, at which point the waiver-wire priority list will be based on the updated standings.

As an aside, the Canadiens did not add any players on waivers on Sunday, which connotes our projected Habs lineup is likely to be accurate.

The full list of players added to waivers on October 6 is embedded below. Click on the picture to open a larger version in a new browser.