The Montreal Canadiens are in an interesting spot with the 5th overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft. What should they do with the pick?
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@Montreal Canadiens
14 Comments
eh i doubt any pick in the top 5 moves, high picks being traded are a rare occurrence these days
What should the Habs do with their own first round pick?
pick Michkov and see after all the offers
Very good comments. Leo Carlsson makes me dream and to get him Habs may have to move up. If the rumor persists for Michkov about a possible contract extension with SKA St. Petersburg, he will be available later in the draft.
If Nick Bobrov* has "insider" information that Michkov will firmly refuse an extension, then let's move back a few spots to get Michkov. Detroit has the 9th and the 18th. The Blues have 10th and picks from Dallas and Toronto. It would be possible to trade the 5th for two other first-round picks.
* Bobrov was a scout for the SKA for three years.
seems like Michkov will drop further than most draft mocks think.
I think the cost will be too high to move up. If they are not interested in drafting Michkov and Smith is already gone trade down with the capitals who love russian players and get another high draft pick as compensation in switching picks with washington.
I honestly think the reward for Michkov more than justifies the risk. This is a borderline-generational player we're talking about, a player who could easily eclipse a guy like Kaprizov (i.e. his career single-season ceiling, which I'd say there's a 10-15% chance of achieving, is something like 55+ goals, 130+ points), and who will almost certainly be a Calder contender in his rookie season of 2026-27 (barring injuries). If he wasn't Russian, I think he'd be a LOCK for 2nd overall this draft (and 1st overall if he was a year older or younger, being drafted in 2022 or 2024). A lot can happen in 3 years, but we have to remember that from the Russian state's perspective, having a player come to North America and dominate a bunch of Canadians and Americans is good propaganda for them, just as it is good for them to have Russian players participating in cutesy Canadian/American commercials for fast food restaurants, and tossing out pucks before a home game, which alters people's perspectives of Russia and Russians in a positive direction. As for SKA St. Petersburg blackmailing him by denying him ice time or whatever, that's a bluff; denying him ice time hurts them more than it hurts him, as he is a game-breaking player in a way that Romanov wasn't (Romanov was benched a lot by CSKA Moskva because of his intentions to switch to the NHL – he was getting ~6 minutes a game). Teams want to win, and getting 3 years of Michkov is better than nothing (also, why would the threat of diminished ice time persuade a player to extend a contract? You don't stay for longer than you have to when you are being treated poorly by a team!). And as for the situation on the ground in Russia, you can bet that Montréal would employ trusted individuals living in Russia to monitor the political situation there, and if things look dire, arrange an extraction for Michkov and his family. Michkov would be an investment, and the Habs would ABSOLUTELY put effort into ensuring that he pays off, and becomes a valued member of their team.
To me, there is no question here – building a contender is about taking calculated risks, and if Michkov is available at #5 (and I think there's a chance he won't be), the Habs HAVE to draft him. In 2026, so many contracts will be off the books, and Montréal's youngsters will be pushing the team towards contendership all by themselves. An injection of a point-per-game, 30+ goal-scoring player (and I'm talking rookie season production here; it'll only be upwards from there) like Michkov will be what puts them over the edge.
And finally, I think that all of the negative talk about Michkov, and the risks associated with him especially in the French-language press (but also English), plus the carefully-worded statements to the effect that Montréal could consider trading the pick to move up or down in the draft is a calculated play by Hughes et al. to obfuscate their intentions and make their decision a surprise to all. There's no way they would telegraph their ACTUAL perspective on a highly-touted player before the draft.
Then why would anyone select Michkov in the first rd
Nobody is going to trade out of the top four. Depending on what they are looking for they may be able to trade down.
I don’t think he extends with his KHL club! I mean, why would he bother to come to the NHL draft if he has no intentions of playing here anytime soon! I’m reading that his father wanted to terminate the contract he’s in so he could pursue an NHL career ! This was before he unexpectedly passed
Montreal could offer to buy Michkov's KHL contract.
Bobrov might be the most connected individual to the KHL. They will know the exact chances of him coming over or not.
I don't mind waiting 1 or 2 years, because we do that for most players anyway.
Go for Leo!
Will Smith. Need someone to play with Slafkovsky. If they blow this pick and Slaf isn’t really good they will be finishing last for years.