A former member of the organization reveals major information concerning Matvei Michkov and the Canadiens' 5th overall pick

PUBLICATION

Elias Edmonson
September 1, 2023 (6:29 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

On Thursday night, the Montreal Canadiens released their documentary related to the behind-the-scenes of the 2023 draft. This video allowed fans to learn more about the process implemented by the management to come to the selection of certain players such as David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, and Bogdan Konyushkov.

Although the names of the players who weren't drafted by the Canadiens are censored in the video, it's quickly apparent who they are. On this note, it's observed that Jeff Gorton seemed very inclined to draft the young Russian prodigy, Matvei Michkov.

While there was a consensus among the scouts (David Reinbacher), the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations asked several times if the organization was making a mistake by not selecting an extremely talented player, alluding to none other than Matvei Michkov.

However, the former scout for the Montreal Canadiens, Grant McCagg, made a rather surprising revelation. Indeed, according to him, the management was torn between David Reinbacher and Ryan Leonard, thus ruling out the possibility that Matvei Michkov was considered up to the very end of the decision process.

"I think he [Jeff Gorton] was talking about Michkov in that clip. I also think their final decision boiled down to choosing either Leonard or Reinbacher." - Grant McCagg

If that's the case, it's still surprising since Jeff Gorton seemed to have a real bias for the SKA Saint Petersburg forward. Ultimately, when watching the Canadiens' video, it's clear that David Reinbacher had a lead in the minds of the vast majority of the scouts.

Do you believe the Canadiens' management made the right decision in selecting David Reinbacher?

Credit: Habs et LNH