Author: Dose

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Organizational needs: the Canadiens have added four big right-handed defenders since yesterday

It’s the end of the draft.

The Canadiens, who had 12 draft picks yesterday, ended up talking nine times. It traded its first picks to get Noah Dobson, and it took the time to step forward twice today – once without losing a pick in the process.

Here’s what it looks like.

In all, of the nine guys, the Canadiens picked two guys who play in Russia, five who play in the CHL (including two QMJHL players) and two guys from U.S. junior.

In the past, there were fewer CHL guys. We can see the impact of the NCAA rule change, can’t we?

The club drafted only three forwards (including one of the smallest of the auction, LJ Mooney), which I wouldn’t have necessarily predicted 24 hours ago. He picked two goalies and no less than four defensemen.

All the guys (except Mooney) are at least 6’1, which is striking, but not surprising after watching the 2025 series. And an 18-19-year-old kid can still grow.

But there’s another important fact we’re going to talk about: right-handed defensemen.

As of yesterday, the Montréal Canadiens have added four right-handed defensemen who are at least 6’1 to their organization: Bryce Pickford, Carlos Handel, Andrew MacNiel and… Noah Dobson, of course.

Maxon Vig, today’s final pick, is a left-handed defenseman.

It’s worth mentioning that, in his post-draft press conference, Nick Bobrov talked about his club’s organizational needs. And he cited the need to add right-handed defensemen.

Mission accomplished – but certainly not to the delight of Logan Mailloux.

With more defensemen and goalies than ever in the branches, the stage is set for the Canadiens to move on to the next challenge: finding a second NHL-calibre center to add to the core.

Will it be easy? No. Will Kent Hughes, in a saturated market, succeed in his mission to add a center to back up Ivan Demidov? We’ll have to wait and see. But he’s there now.

No, the GM won’t be idle after acquiring Noah Dobson, which is a major coup.

overtime

– What will Sid The Kid do?

– Wow.

– Interesting.

– Don’t hold your breath.

– It’s not all over for them.

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“Alexander Zharovsky is a top-6 talent and we had him where we needed to draft in the 1st round.”

The Canadiens had a busy day today. A total of nine prospects came to Montreal in this draft.

It could have been more if yesterday’s picks hadn’t been traded, but you know… #NoahDobson

That said, even though he wasn’t drafted in the first round, the Habs still talked at No. 34, a very high second-round pick. And with that pick, they selected Alexander Zharovsky.

And when you listen to Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov’s post-draft press briefing, you’ll understand that the Montreal club is really happy to have gotten their hands on the young Russian, especially so late in the game.

Because both men revealed that on their list, Zharovsky was located right where they had their first-round picks. Nothing less.

Time and again, Lapointe and Bobrov insisted that their mission was to find top-6 talent. And in Zharovsky, they really feel they’ve found a player who fits the bill.

You’d think the fact that he dreams of playing on the same line as Ivan Demidov, for example, would be a big motivator for the kid… but also, the fact that he was drafted 34th rather than 16th (which might have been the case had Noah Dobson not come to town) will take some of the pressure off his shoulders.

And speaking of Dobson, both men noted that they didn’t object to the transaction that sent the two first-round picks. They weren’t going to say otherwise, of course, but they did say it on more than one occasion.

That said, they still got the best of both worlds, with Zharovsky available at No. 34. So they were happy to see him available, just as they were happy to see Kent Hughes go for that pick to select the forward.

All’s well that ends well, then.

Extension

Martin Lapointe also gave some love to two other prospects selected today in Alexis Cournoyer and John Mooney. In particular, he praised Cournoyer’s character.

The character of the prospects is something Lapointe stressed a lot.

And in Mooney’s case, Lapointe praised the kid‘s talent, even if the frame isn’t necessarily ideal.

He reminded us that in the fourth round, aiming for a home run becomes much easier… and he also recalled the success the organization enjoyed with the Lane Hutson pick.

Getting back to Mooney, it’s worth noting that he takes a lot of inspiration from Cole Caufield.

And for those wondering, L.J. stands for “Little John”, his father’s nickname for him.

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round 7: the Habs draft a strong left-handed defenseman, Maxon Vig

After a busy day, the Canadiens had one last pick to use in the seventh round, 209th overall.

The club has already selected Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis, Bryce Pickford, Arseni Radkov, John Mooney, Alexis Cournoyer, Carlos Handel and Andrew MacNiel.

And at 209th, he selected defenseman Maxon Vig, an imposing left-handed defenseman who stands 6 feet 2 inches tall and, more importantly, weighs 212 pounds.

More details to come…

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Carlos Handel: a QMJHL right-handed defenseman who (really) slipped joins the Habs

There were a lot of newcomers in Montreal today. So far, the Habs have selected Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis, Bryce Pickford, Arseni Radkov, John Mooney and Alexis Cournoyer… and the club had three more picks to go.

And in the sixth round, the club had two more picks to use. First, they used the 177th pick to select defenseman Carlos Handel from the Halifax Mooseheads.

We’re talking about a right-handed defenseman… who, for many, was a mid-third-round prospect.

Then, in the 189th spot, the Habs chose Andrew MacNeil, another right-handed defenseman.

He plays for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.

More details to come…

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Habs’ choice: Alexis Cournoyer was 15 minutes away from going to Predators camp

This afternoon, the Canadiens selected a Québécois goaltender in Alexis Cournoyer. He was the club’s fifth-round pick, and adds to an already well-stocked bank of prospects in front of net.

But you can never have too many goalies.

That said, you get the feeling that Cournoyer was pretty surprised to hear his name mentioned at 145. At least, that’s what we understand from Anthony Martineau(TVA Sports), who chatted to him.

In fact, Cournoyer revealed to Martineau that, at the time he was selected by the Habs, he was 15 minutes away from going to the Predators’ development camp, to which he had been invited.

But obviously, his plans changed when he heard the news.

We know that often, prospects projected late in the draft have to deal with the reality of never knowing where they’ll go, or even if they’ll be drafted at all. And since development camps are held very soon after the draft, this forces players to be ready for any eventuality.

In Cournoyer’s case, then, the kid was ready to go to Nashville, and it’s safe to assume that Jean-Philippe Glaude was among those who pushed to invite him to the camp. He must have been disappointed to see him drafted by the Habs.

However, it’s easy to see how things can come down to the wire on draft day… and in Cournoyer’s case, it came down to the last 15 minutes. Of course, he would have returned home if the Habs had selected him later, but everything went fast for him today.

In the end, though, he’s right where he wants to be.

Extension

Cournoyer is quite a story. We’re talking about a 19-year-old goaltender who didn’t even start the year in the QMJHL… but after a fine end to the season, here he is, drafted by the Habs in the fifth round.

And it’s safe to assume that his father, who is also in the hockey world, is one of the many people who must be very proud of the young goalkeeper.

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Habs land Québécois goaltender Alexis Cournoyer at 145th overall

The Canadiens have had a busy day so far today. In addition to selecting Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis, Bryce Pickford, Arseni Radkov and John Mooney, the club had four other picks to complete this draft.

Of these, the 145th, a fifth-round pick. And with that pick, they opted for Alexis Cournoyer.

We’re talking about a Québécois goaltender here.

More details to come…

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Mitch Marner: Golden Knights working on a deal

What if Mitch Marner signed with… Toronto?

Signing in Toronto, however, doesn’t mean he’d play there. After all, he could come to an agreement with another NHL team to sign and trade with the Maple Leafs.

What this means is that he’d sign in Toronto, but be traded right away to a club with which he’d previously come to an agreement.

And right now, that sounds like a solid possibility. According to two well-connected journalists, the Vegas Golden Knights and Maple Leafs are working on a sign-and-trade for Marner.

Interesting…

The player’s advantage is to sign for eight years and/or to be ahead of other players on the autonomy market. But in his case, eight years doesn’t really seem to apply.

The rumor is that he’ll sign for four years and $12 million a year to play in Vegas. And if Alex Pietrangelo can’t play this year, the club will have more room to spare.

The Golden Knights’ advantage is to give the Maple Leafs a little something to prevent Marner from becoming a free agent on July 1. It’s a window of exclusivity to negotiate.

The man who reportedly visited homes in Vegas with his wife was already headed for Vegas… but once he’s free as a bird, who knows what can happen.

Of course, Vegas wouldn’t pay the Maple Leafs a crazy price, because otherwise, the club would just have to wait until Tuesday to sign him freely. It’s mostly a symbolic return.

It could be Nicolas Roy.

extension

So in all this, Toronto would get a little something… but more importantly, they’d make sure Mitch Marner doesn’t sign in the East for the rest of his career.

We’ll see what happens.

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round 4: Habs draft (very small) center John Mooney

After selecting Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis, Bryce Pickford and Arseni Radkov, the Canadiens had the 113th pick in the draft, and they didn’t move up this time.

Since the beginning of the draft, the Habs have been betting on guys with good size… but this time, they opted instead for a very small center: John Mooney.

He’s also called L.J. Mooney by others, but either way, it’s the same player.

More details to come…

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Habs: Bryce Pickford (defenseman) and Arseni Radkov (goalie) drafted in the third round

After selecting Alexander Zharovsky and Hayden Paupanekis, the Habs had the 81st and 82nd picks in the third round of the draft. And for the first time all day, they didn’t move forward with those picks.

The club kept its two selections, and with them first drafted defenseman Bryce Pickford at 81st.

We’re talking about a right-hander who played alongside Gavin McKenna this season, and who’s just had a great series.

Then, in 82nd place, the club decided on a Belarusian goalkeeper: Arseni Radkov.

Gabriel D’Aigle, a Québécois, was still available… and he went out at 84th.

More details to come…

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Habs step forward (again) to draft Hayden Paupanekis

Earlier today, the Canadiens drafted Alexander Zharovsky. To do so, they moved up to 34th overall, sending the 41st and 49th picks to Carolina.

We’re talking about a very interesting prospect… but also one of Ivan Demidov’s (very) good friends.

And in the third round, the Habs had the 79th, 81st and 82nd picks… but once again, they moved up. This time, they went for the 69th pick, which belonged to the Bruins,

That cost him the 79th pick and the 108th pick.

And with that pick, he drafted center Hayden Paupanekis. We’re talking about a big guy, 6 feet 5 inches tall.

More details to come…