Habs Daily: Draft Pick Value, Buyout Period, St-Louis

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

For the first time in three years, the Montreal Canadiens do not own a top-five pick heading into the NHL Entry Draft. However, thanks to a few smart trades, their pre-draft pick value remains quite high compared to previous seasons. [Canadiens Maintain Surprising NHL Draft Pick Value]

With the NHL’s buyout window set to open, the Habs really don’t have any obvious targets worthy of such a drastic decision. It speaks to the smart approach by general manager Kent Hughes in contract negotiations. [Canadiens Buyout Options: Kent Hughes’ Impact ]

The fourth-longest tenured head coach in the NHL turned 50 on Wednesday. Yes, head coach Martin St-Louis is now 50 years old, and yes, somehow there are only three active coaches who were hired by their team before St-Louis took over in 2022. You could argue Andre Tourigny has been around for longer, making St-Louis the fifth-longest tenured coach, but Utah and Arizona are not the same franchise. Either way, the mere fact that St-Louis is in the top five speaks to the complete lack of job stability in the NHL over the course of the last few seasons.

Happy birthday to Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis, who turns 50 today. #Habs @mtlgazette photo by John Mahoney pic.twitter.com/XkVYjCLLUx

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) June 18, 2025

ICYMI: 2025 NHL Draft-eligible prospect Logan Hensler may have dropped drastically in recent rankings, but the right-handed defencemen’s mobility should lead to a first-round selection. The Montreal Canadiens happen to have a pair of first-round picks that are set for Hensler’s projected range. [Canadiens 2025 Draft Targets: Smooth Skating Logan Hensler]

National Hockey Now Network

The Florida Panthers run to a second straight Stanley Cup championship did not come without some pain for two of their top players: Matthew Tkachuk and Sasha Barkov. [Florida Panthers]

One of the key pieces of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017 is returning to the organization for a third time, but not as a player. Former Penguins centre Nick Bonino announced via social media video that he has ended his playing career and is joining the Penguins coaching staff with new head coach Dan Muse.[Pittsburgh Penguins]

The Avalanche have a star winger appearing on several offseason trade boards. [NY Islanders]