The NHL season has ended, and the Florida Panthers are the Stanley Cup Champions for the primary time in franchise historical past. It’s the third time in 4 seasons the Cup has been awarded to a workforce in Florida. With the season over, the subsequent massive occasion is the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas on June 28 and 29, the place NHL groups will start the two-day festivities by gathering and selecting the hopeful savior of their workforce’s future within the first spherical. The Montreal Canadiens have the fifth-overall choose and can look to enhance their ahead group with a stud younger participant.
The draft is replete with high-end expertise, and the hope the Canadiens get one could be very excessive, particularly if at the least two defencemen go within the prime 4. Montreal can virtually do no mistaken with their choose this yr, however there are some secure and dangerous picks to select from.
Canadiens Made the Protected Choose Final 12 months
Final yr’s draft would be the most controversial for the Kent Hughes period in Montreal. The second-year common supervisor had an opportunity to select a number of highly-skilled forwards akin to Matvei Michkov or Ryan Leonard. As a substitute, they went the secure route and drafted defenceman David Reinbacher. This resolution shocked and angered many Habs followers hoping for a highly-skilled Michkov or the numerous power-forward Leonard. Hughes deliberate to construct the defence and goaltending by drafting Reinbacher and choosing three goaltenders in the remainder of the draft. Drafting a defenceman early within the rebuild made sense as a result of they take longer to develop than forwards. What didn’t make sense was that the subsequent draft (this yr) was heavy on top-ranked defensemen; the Canadiens may’ve simply acquired the ahead they needed within the 2023 draft after which the defencemen they needed on this draft.
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Many would argue that when drafting, you all the time choose the very best participant accessible (BPA) and that the Canadiens are as an alternative drafted for want. This isn’t the case in final yr’s draft — Reinbacher could not have regarded just like the BPA to everybody else, but when the Habs have been planning on going with defence, then he could be the BPA for Montreal. I perceive that BPA often means the subsequent greatest prospect, it doesn’t matter what place, based mostly on talent and scouting, however groups don’t often have a look at it that manner. An NHL workforce — particularly a rebuilder — considers BPA the very best participant accessible to assist their workforce sooner or later. The Canadiens may’ve rapidly gone with a talented ahead as a result of they want a type of, however forwards develop a lot quicker than defencemen. In the event that they know the subsequent draft is heavy on defence, then it needs to be straightforward for them to get highly-skilled ahead.
Sennecke Is the Highest Threat Draft Choose
Beckett Sennecke is a tall, well-rounded, highly-skilled winger with a uncommon mixture of dimension, velocity, and puck expertise. His potential isn’t even near being tapped out, and he has the potential to be a real top-line participant. Though his season wasn’t thoughts blowing, recording 68 factors in 63 video games, his playoff efficiency for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) was large as he scored 10 targets and 22 factors in 16 video games. Sennecke was an enormous cause why the Generals had such nice second-half success and an extended playoff run. In terms of pure talent, he’s in the identical group as Ivan Demidov and Macklin Celebrini; whereas he doesn’t have the identical talent or hockey IQ as them, his dimension and velocity put him in virtually the identical tier.
The largest problem with Sennecke — and what places him on the backside of the highest tier of forwards — is that regardless of his dimension and velocity, he’s nonetheless looking for his sport in his giant physique. He grew virtually 5 inches within the final two seasons, and his first-half woes immediately resulted from not getting used to his physique dimension on the ice. He additionally suffered an damage within the quarter-finals of the OHL playoffs, forcing him to overlook the finals. There isn’t any doubt about his elite expertise, and he’s a spotlight machine, however nonetheless doesn’t have the IQ to place all of it collectively constantly. His defensive sport can also be missing; like most highly-skilled forwards, Sennecke has a lot to study concerning the defensive aspect of the sport, and lots of at this time’s NHL coaches need good 200-foot video games from all their top-minute gamers. Due to these flaws, he’s the very best boom-or-bust choose within the draft; he’ll both be an NHL celebrity or a third-line ahead.
Canadiens Can’t Afford to Miss on a Ahead
The Canadiens are in a superb draft place at fifth-overall. They’ll get an excellent top-six ahead with potential star energy; nevertheless, to get what they need, just a few issues nonetheless have to occur from picks one by means of 4. Montreal must hope at the least two defencemen get drafted within the prime 4, and so they additionally have to anticipate that the ahead they need doesn’t get drafted in one of many remaining spots. Celebrini will go to the San Jose Sharks at first total — that could be a foregone conclusion. The opposite three positions earlier than the fifth spot are nonetheless open to interpretation. The BPA for quantity two needs to be Demidov, however the Chicago Blackhawks additionally would possibly really feel their BPA is a defenceman like Artyom Levshunov or Sam Dickinson. The Anaheim Geese need defencemen in Anton Silayev or Zayne Parekh, leaving the Columbus Blue Jackets with the Habs’ destiny.
The Blue Jackets may go in any path with a defenseman or a ahead. It appears like they need one with dimension in order that Cayden Lindstrom and even Sennecke may very well be in play. In response to social media, most Montreal followers appear to need Demidov, and I’m one who hopes he can fall to the fifth spot. Suppose Demidov and Lindstrom get drafted into the highest 4. In that case, the Canadiens nonetheless have viable choices, and in the event that they determine to go the dangerous route like everybody needed them to do final yr — which they in all probability ought to go this yr– then Sennecke is the choose. The Habs can not afford to overlook on this choice; they want a robust offensive participant and potential star Demidov, Lindstrom and Tij Iginla are all secure picks. Sennecke, nevertheless, is the dangerous choose that might get them an elite celebrity or an overpaid third-liner sooner or later.
If you need a superb complete information to the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, look no additional than The Hockey Writers.
