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Canadiens 2025 Draft Targets: The Intriguing Lynden Lakovic

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9 months ago

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montreal canadiens draft target lynden lakovic

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft is a stone’s throw away, and the Montreal Canadiens hold two first-round picks they may use to bolster their prospect pipeline.

Among the players that might be available for them at 16th and 17th overall are the enticing Carter Bear, and the prolific Justin Carbonneau.

Considering the Habs already has promising bottom-six forwards in Florian Xhekaj, Owen Beck, and Jared Davidson in their midst, the scouting team could be tempted to swing on upside rather than safe bets in this forward-heavy portion of the draft.

With that in mind, an interesting long-term project could be right there for the taking: Lynden Lakovic.

Lynden Lakovic, LW, Shoots Left, 6’4″, 185 lb, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

Lakovic is a big winger that will only get add mass as he fills his underdeveloped frame. The talented playmaker has great skating abilities and really soft hands to match. Lakovic excels at zone entries, and often attacks the defensive zone in an arc, forcing the creation of a gap, and allowing for a drop pass that leaves room for the trailing player to wind up a shot uncontested, or use his speed to deke his way to the net.

This is a major area of improvement in his play compared to previous seasons, as he used to be much more conservative with the puck. It goes to show Lakovic is improving and adjusting to the competition in front of him as he grows more comfortable in the WHL. His ability to assimilate new tactics and bolster his arsenal of tools, especially in his draft year, is encouraging for scouts, and makes it interesting to project a runway for the skilled winger’s development.

The Kelowna native favours using his long stick to deke opponents or keep the puck away when entering the offensive zone before dishing it out to a teammate. However, he doesn’t shy away from using his shot, and what a shot he possesses! His 27 goals in 47 games are a testament to his goal-scoring ability, and his 58 points total (while missing 21 games) still have him leading his team by 10 points. That’s not bad for a player that hasn’t quite figured it all out yet.

Lakovic keeps his hands close to his body when firing at the net which creates great torque, and as a result, his shot is heavy and precise. He is also very good at catching and releasing pucks in a single movement, something that could make him a double threat at the next level.

At the risk of sounding cliché, as every year a big, skilled player is dubbed the ‘next Tage Thompson’… could Lakovic be this year’s recipient of the moniker?

Necessary Improvements to Help The Montreal Canadiens

There’s still some work to be done in the gym to ensure he fills out his impressive frame. On that note, he has gained several inches in recent years, and it has hindered his play slightly, as his skating, while good, still has a healthy dose of awkwardness.

Right now, fans are a little dumbfounded by his lack of physicality, his propensity for peripheral play, and how easily he loses board battles given his height. But considering he’s quite lanky, this is an area of his game that should improve once he fills out, and learns to throw his weight around.

For those reasons, Lakovic is probably three or four years away from the NHL, in order to give him enough time to add physicality and grit to his toolkit. There’s nothing wrong with letting a player with that much upside fully develop in order to cash out on that lottery ticket. And if he’s available in the middle of the first-round — somewhere he projects to be picked — the Montreal Canadiens faithful should be pleased with his selection, as the potential is sky-high.

Projecting a fit with the Montreal Canadiens

Lakovic has shown evidence of great hockey IQ, leadership qualities and the ability to adapt and improve over the course of his WHL stint. Banking on his motivation and coachability could really pay off if set on the right development path.

Nabbing a big winger with tantalizing skills that could become a top-six mainstay for years in the middle of the first round could be a home run to celebrate, years down the road.

And all the aforementioned character traits could yield a useful bottom-six player that can score goals, if he doesn’t fully hit his ceiling.

But will Lynden Lakovic still be available once the Montreal Canadiens make their selection on June 27, or will another team steal him first?

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