Ryan Poehling has every reason to be nervous
For the past several drafts, the Montreal Canadiens haven't had the best of luck in the first round. In fact, most of them are currently playing for another team.
In fact, only 3 of the last 10 first round picks of the Habs are still in the organization. The two most recent ones, Kaiden Guhle and Logan Mailloux, are still in junior. The other remaining is Ryan Poehling.
2012 pick Alex Galchenyuk is currently free as a bird, as he is an unrestricted free agent. Michael McCarron, 25th overall in 2013, is playing for the Nashville Predators' AHL club. The following year, in search of offensive forwards, Marc Bergevin chose Nikita Scherbak, who is now in the American Hockey League with Dallas.
Next is Noah Juulsen, the 24 year old defenseman who is now playing in Florida and was drafted last year. Mikhail Sergachev was the 2016 pick, but never played a single season game in Montreal following the trade for Jonathan Drouin. And of course, Jesperi Kotkaniemi who packed his bags for Carolina yesterday.
That leaves 22-year-old forward Ryan Poehling as the only remaining pick between 2012 and 2018. It's true to say that the draft is an inexact science, but in this case, can we call it a failure?
The American forward should get a real chance to show what he is really worth next season. If he has a good training camp, Poehling could earn a regular spot with the Canadiens.
Is there additional pressure on Ryan Poehling's shoulders? Four years after being drafted 25th overall, he has just 5 points in 28 NHL games. Trevor Timmins must want Poehling to reach his full potential, or another of his first round picks will be a disappointment.
