Stu Cowan: Canadiens GM Kent Hughes Injects Suspense into NHL Draft

For the 2010 NHL Draft, the big problem is Taylor or Tyler was.

Will Taylor Hall be No. 1 overall or will he be Tyler Sigin?

For this year's NHL draft starting at Bell Center on Thursday night, the big issues are Shane, Juraj, or Logan.

No ring is the same as Taylor or Tyler, but Canadians GM Kent Hughes said Monday that it wasn't yet decided whether to choose Shane Wright, Uraislavkovsky or Logan Cooley. 1 pick. Hughes also did not rule out the possibility of trading the 1st place pick or the Canadians with the New Jersey Devils ending in the 1st and 2nd place picks.

At a press conference at Brosal's Bellsports Complex, Hughes said he was open to all possibilities, but if the draft was held on Monday night, he would use the number one pick. He added that he would.

Hughes' press conference will definitely increase the level of excitement for fans down to the draft. This is the first time in Montreal since 2009 when the Canadians chose Louis Leblanc in 18th place overall. It may be part of his plan.

If the Canadiens stay in first place (which I imagine), no matter who they choose, they will get very good players. I choose the light.

In 2010, Edmonton Oilers won the hole in 1st place and Boston Bruins won the Segin in 2nd place. Since then, both have enjoyed similar careers, with Hall recording a total of 248-409-657. 761 games and Seguin posted a total of 305-381-686 in 825 games. Both of them are no longer the team that drafted them. Hall is with his fifth team, Bruins, while Segin is with his second team, the Dallas Stars.

The only thing that is certain about the NHL draft is its uncertainty.

The last time the Canadiens took first place overall was in 1980 when they won Doug Wickenheiser. After Winnipeg Jets chose Dave Babich, the Chicago Blackhawks landed the future Hall of Fame Denis Savard in third place.

During the season leading up to the 2012 draft, the popular slogan was "Fail for Nail," with Nail Yakpov ranked first. The Oilers placed Yakpov in first place, but he lasted only six seasons in the NHL, scoring a total of 62-74-136 in 350 games. The best player in the draft was Philip Foshberg. Filip Forsberg was ranked 11th overall by Washington Capitals, with a total of 220-249-469 in 566 games. However, none of those games came with the Capitals traded less than a year after drafting Forsberg to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Martin Elato and Michael Latta. ..

The 2012 draft was also the year the Canadians chose Alex Garchenuk in third place after Columbus Blue Jackets placed Ryan Murray in second place. Since then, 10 picks — Mikhail Sergachev in 9th place in 2016 and Yesperico Tokaniemi in 3rd place in 2018 — and none of these three top 10 picks remain in Montreal.

Of course, these three players were drafted and later traded by former Canadians GM Marc Bergevin. This will be the first draft of Hughes as GM.

"We are trying to evaluate how the player projects," Hughes said. "If you look at hockey players, this is what he looks like as a hockey player at the moment and where he is playing. Players are playing in different leagues at different levels of hockey. We look at them and say that this guy can do this at this level ... can he do it at the next level? That is, there are also hockey components and positions There is also a component of. All of this we are evaluating. Can he play in that position on the next level? "

Wright is Kingston of OHL The center of Frontenax, Cooley is the center of the US National Development Team, and Slavkovsky is the left wing of the Finnish elite league TPS Turk. Cooley promised to play at the University of Minnesota next season, but Hughes said that if the Canadians were drafted, Wright or Slavkovsky would likely jump directly to the NHL.

"But again, it's open-minded and flexible in that it's the right situation for them." Hughes was added. "Most 1st place picks will end up playing in the National Hockey League, but that doesn't mean they need to be. Ultimately, you don't need the best 18 years old. We need people who can be up to 22, 24, and 25 (years old), and we strive to take those steps.

"Each person is different," GM said. Said. "So once you get a player, you get a little more insight into what type of person they are and the environment in which we think they can grow the most."

Shane, Juraji, or Logan.

I have an answer on Thursday night.

What happens after that is even bigger.

scowan@postmedia.com

twitter.com/StuCowan1

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