Major: An Unexpected Team Could Pay a Hefty Price For The 5th Overall Pick
In recent days, there seems to be more and more information leaks in anticipation of the draft, which will take place Wednesday evening at Bridgestone Arena.
Moreover, according to several sources, the Philadelphia Flyers (7th overall pick) and the Washington Capitals (8th overall pick) could be two teams possibly interested in drafting Russian phenomenon Matvei Michkov.
In the event that no surprise has occurred in the top-4 and that Kent Hughes does not wish to draft Michkov, the general manager of the Canadiens could very well contact one of these two teams to move down a few ranks and thus obtain an additional pick or a young prospect.
The Flyers and Capitals certainly represent very interesting options, being only two or three ranks after the Tricolore. By making such a trade, Kent Hughes could maximize the value of his 5th pick by receiving an additional choice and drafting a very promising young player (Leonard, Benson, Dvorsky, or Reinbacher).
However, according to information reported by Michael Gallagher of Nashville Hockey Now, Barry Trotz is seriously considering the possibility of moving up between the 5th and 7th pick in the draft, currently holding the 15th overall.
However, it would be very surprising if the Canadiens' top brass agreed to move down that low in view of the draft. Could the Predators' general manager, Barry Trotz, add a top prospect like Yaroslav Askarov to get his hands on the 5th pick?
One thing is for sure, the fact that several teams wish to move up is excellent news for Kent Hughes as his choice will continue to gain a lot of value in the coming days.
Source: TVA Sports
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that the Canadiens will draft at the fifth position in the 2023 draft? | ||
| Yes | 141 | 77 % |
| No | 42 | 23 % |
| List of polls | ||
