The Montreal Canadiens may be one year deeper into their ongoing rebuild, but as things stand, they’re set to finish near the bottom of the NHL’s standings for the third year in a row.
With a record of 22-28-2, the Canadiens find themselves in last place in the Atlantic Division and 27th in the league’s overall standings.
With that said, there is still plenty of hockey to be played before the current campaign concludes, but if things don’t change — or get worse — they could very well be looking at their third consecutive pick in the top five.
According to stats from Tankathon, the Habs currently hold the sixth-best odds of winning this year’s draft lottery for the first overall selection at the 2024 Draft with a 7.5% chance.
Montreal’s three most likely picks, though, are seventh (41.4% chance), sixth (34.1% chance), and eighth (9.1% chance).
As for the rest of the league, the Chicago Blackhawks, who held the first overall selection in 2023, remain favourites to win the lottery with a 25.5% chance. The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks are next in line with a 13.5% and 11.5% likelihood, respectively.
Tankathon
Last season, when the Canadiens were awarded the fifth overall pick via the lottery, they concluded the year in 28th place with a 31-45-6 record, going into the lottery with an 8.5% chance of securing the first overall pick.
Despite being on a similar trajectory this season, team captain Nick Suzuki recently admitted the spirits are still high within Montreal’s locker room.
“There’s lots of motivating factors in the NHL. Future contracts, future opportunities. It’s a business in the best league in the world,” Suzuki told reporters on Monday. “There are always things to play for. We’re playing for each other. We’re a tight group here, we want to see each other succeed.”
The Habs play the Arizona Coyotes, who are one point behind them in the standings, on Tuesday night. Since the Coyotes have a game in hand, a Montreal loss could push them back even further, improving their lottery odds.
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