A potential nightmare scenario unfolding right before our eyes in the Atlantic Division
As we approach the back half of the season, teams start to evaluate where they sit and the likelihood that they can make a true push in the playoffs. For other teams, the deadline is a time to sell off assets to push them further down the standings to ensure a higher draft pick in the summer.
Montreal is in a bit of a surprise position as they held the No. 1 overall pick back in 2022 when the NHL Draft was held in Montreal where they surprisingly selected Juraj Slafkovsky over the consensus No. 1 pick - Shane Wright. This year, the No. 1 overall pick is all but confirmed to be Connor Bedard, who has been on a tear in the WHL and lit it up at the World Juniors this year. This has teams really contemplating tanking for the top pick in this year's draft; however, this has been made more difficult as they will still need to go through the NHL's Draft Lottery.
Last year, Montreal sent one of the most coveted D-Men on the market at the Trade Deadline in Ben Chiarot to Florida in a trade that involved the Panthers' 2023 1st rounder. The most interesting part of this trade is the 2023 1st rounder is an unprotected draft pick which had conditions - which in the end were not met from the 2022 Draft. What this means is that Montreal could now have 2 entries into the NHL Draft Lottery and multiple chances to win the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. That trade has turned into a disaster for Florida as they have now dealt away their 1st round picks up until the 2026 season.
A dream for the Habs and a nightmare for the Panthers would see the Habs drafting at #1 and #2 in the upcoming draft. This would also be a nightmare for the rest of the Atlantic Division, which includes the Habs' arch rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don't think any team in the Atlantic Division would enjoy having to play against the Habs with the likes of Juraj Slafkovsky, Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli in Montreal.
The Panthers currently sit 21st out of 32 teams in the NHL standings, while the Habs currently sit 26th. There's a lot of runway left this season, so there's plenty of time for the Panthers to turn things around and make the playoffs - but they'll have their work cut out for them.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 18 | 602 ANSWERS A potential nightmare scenario unfolding right before our eyes in the Atlantic Division Will the Habs end up with two top 3 picks in this year's draft? | ||
| Yes | 171 | 28.4 % |
| No | 431 | 71.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
