An expert has created a combined ranking of the 2022 and 2023 drafts and the shock is brutal for Canadiens fans

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David St-Jean
August 5, 2023 (6:08 PM)

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The prospects expert at The Athletic, Corey Pronman, has published a very interesting article on the combined ranking of young talents from the 2022 NHL Draft, along with his personal list of the best players from 2023.

This exercise allows Canadiens fans to see how the organization has fared in terms of talent with last year's first-round selection, combined with this year's fifth overall pick.

Here is the top 10 from 2022:

1. Juraj Slafkovsky - LW (Canadiens)
2. Simon Nemec - RD (Devils)
3. Logan Cooley - C (Coyotes)
4. Shane Wright - C (Kraken)
5. Cutter Gauthier - C (Flyers)
6. David Jiricek - RD (Blue Jackets)
7. Kevin Korchinski - LW (Blackhawks)
8. Marco Kasper - C (Red Wings)
9. Matthew Savoie - C (Sabres)
10. Pavel Mintyukov - LW (Ducks)

Here is Pronman's top 10 for 2023:

1. Connor Bedard - C (WHL)
2. Adam Fantilli - C (USHL)
3. Matvei Michkov - RW (KHL)
4. Leo Carlsson - C (SHL)
5. Will Smith - C (USHL)
6. David Reinbacher - RD (Switzerland)
7. Dalibor Dvorsky - C (Sweden)
8. Ryan Leonard - RW (USHL)
9. Gabriel Perreault - LW (USHL)
10. Zach Benson - LW (WHL)

And here is the combined ranking of the top 10 from 2022 and 2023:

1. Connor Bedard - C (WHL)
2. Adam Fantilli - C (USHL)
3. Matvei Michkov - RW (KHL)
4. Leo Carlsson - C (SHL)
5. Will Smith - C (USHL)
6. Juraj Slafkovsky - LW (Canadiens)
7. Logan Cooley - C (Coyotes)
8. David Jiricek - RD (Blue Jackets)
9. David Reinbacher - RD (Switzerland)
10. Shane Wright - C (Kraken)
11. Cutter Gauthier - C (Flyers)
12. Kevin Korchinski - LW (Blackhawks)
13. Dalibor Dvorsky - C (Sweden)
14. Ryan Leonard - RW (USHL)
15. Simon Nemec - RD (Devils)
16. Gabriel Perreault - LW (USHL)
17. Marco Kasper - C (Red Wings)
18. Zach Benson - LW (WHL)
19. Matthew Savoie - C (Sabres)
20. Pavel Mintyukov - LW (Ducks)

In summary, even though Slafkovsky remains Pronman's top prospect from last year's draft, it's evident that if he were part of this year's crop, he would fall behind the players from the renowned Big-Five: Bedard, Fantilli, Michkov, Carlsson, and Smith.

This clearly highlights the exceptional talent level of the 2023 draft class, which surpasses that of 2022. When taking into account the recent selection of Reinbacher, the team secured the ninth-ranked prospect in the combined rankings. So, with a 2022 1st overall pick and a 2023 5th overall pick, the Canadiens have the 6th and 9th best prospects from the last two combined drafts.

It's definitely a disappointing realization. The outcome could have been different had Michkov been chosen this year, which would have secured the 3rd and 6th best talents.

Now, the organization can only hope that they succeed in developing Slafkovsky and Reinbacher well in the coming seasons, otherwise the team's selections could have a painful impact for a long time.