2023 Draft: the picture becomes clearer and here's what should happen with the Canadiens' 5th pick
We are now less than three weeks away from the NHL Draft, and the excitement of fans is becoming increasingly palpable.
With a top-5 pick in one of the best draft years since 2015, this fervor is even more intense, as we are all very eager to find out who the Montreal Canadiens will choose.
At the present time, as the excellent analyst Marc-Olivier Beaudoin points out, there are two very tangible scenarios that are likely to occur on June 28, depending on the four choices that will be made before the Tricolore's selection.
In essence, if Will Smith is the remaining player from the Big-Five available, which means that Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and Matvei Michkov have all been selected before, he will undoubtedly become a member of the Canadiens.
However, if the last available player from this famous top-5 is Matvei Michkov, much to the dismay of many fans in Montreal, it seems almost certain that the organization will let him slide to select a prospect among David Reinbacher, Ryan Leonard, or Dalibor Dvorsky.
Unfortunately, the Michkov file scares the CH, and despite the fact that he is undoubtedly the best talent of the draft along with Bedard, Kent Hughes will turn up his nose at him to choose a safer player who should be good, of course, but who does not have the stuff of a future generational talent like the Russian forward.
If I had to choose among the three young players, in the perspective where the Canadiens will not select Michkov, I really hope to see Leonard be the club's choice. He could become an excellent complement for the trio of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
On the other hand, Matvei Michkov would certainly be my choice and I would be rubbing my hands strongly to get such a unique talent, as far as the 5th rank.
| POLL | ||
If the Canadiens don't select Matvei Michkov at the 5th pick and Will Smith is no longer available, who would be your choice? | ||
| Dalibor Dvorsky | 23 | 17.3 % |
| David Reinbacher | 40 | 30.1 % |
| Ryan Leonard | 70 | 52.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
