While forward prospect Macklin Celebrini is a bona fide No. 1 pick in tonight’s NHL Draft, sifting through the rest of the talent has been a bit of a tossup. However, a new report from Sportsent’s Jeff Marek indicates that the order could actually be set up until the Montreal Canadiens make the fifth overall selection.
On a special episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, the insider revealed his predictions for the top five, based on chats with people around the league.
“Based on my conversations, it’s my belief that Chicago will take [Artyom] Levshunov second, Anaheim will take Zeev Buium third, Cayden Lindstrom goes to the Columbus Blue Jackets fourth,” Marek explained on Thursday. “Then [Ivan] Demidov falls to the Montreal Canadiens.”
A special Vegas Draft edition of the 32 Thoughts.
News & draft talk and lots of it.https://t.co/ySDUMPFut8
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) June 28, 2024
While Demidov seemed like a shoo-in to be a top-three pick, going second in Bob McKenzie’s final draft ranking, questions regarding the Russian winger’s KHL contract status and how soon he’ll be able to come to North America could allow him to slip.
That was the case with Matvei Michkov, who was selected seventh overall in last year’s draft.
As a result, the Canadiens have held several meetings with the 18-year-old, who confirmed having a final chat with Kent Hughes on Thursday in a media scrum.
“We talked with Montreal all season,” the Demidov confirmed to reporters. “I have good memories… about our talk.”
As per a report from Marco D’Amico of Montreal Hockey Now, the Canadiens also met with fellow projected first-rounders Cayden Lindstrom (C) and Cole Eiserman (LW) yesterday.
While all this may give us a clearer idea of who the Habs take at five, Montreal has surprised fans at the draft before, selecting Juraj Slafkosvky first overall in 2022 and David Reinbacher at fifth the following year.
One thing fans should have learned by now is to expect the unexpected.
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