Montreal will miss the post-season for a second straight season, but the organization is loaded with prospects and draft picks.
Canada’s oldest and perhaps proudest hockey franchise — one that has always handled itself with dignity — will face the indignity of missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for a second season in a row.
The Canadiens have bragging rights that go far beyond winning the season opener: They have more Stanley Cup victories than Toronto and one stinging first-round playoff victory in 2021 that spurred Montreal to its 35th trip to the Stanley Cup final. Other teams, such as Vancouver and Philadelphia, have refused to go bare bones for a rebuild. Detroit took some time to figure out it no longer wanted to be in the murky middle of the pack.
Not only do the Canadiens have their first-round pick — and 11 in all — they have Florida’s first pick and it’s not lottery protected. If the Panthers miss the playoffs, Montreal could end up with the best chance of any team to land Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard. And there are franchise-type players who will follow, like Swedish defenceman Leo Carlsson and University of Michigan standout Adam Fantilli.
Hughes’ job won’t be easy. He is under heavy scrutiny for the drafting and handling of Juraj Slafkovsky. Hughes surprised many in the hockey world by taking the Slovak with the top pick of the 2022 NHL draft and the development of Slafkovsky, a winger, will be forever measured against the likes of Logan Cooley and Shane Wright, highly-ranked centres whom the Canadiens might have needed more.
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