The latest one by The Athletic, however, is quite the talk, as the Canadiens' fifth pick is most surprising.
For this second edition, Max Bultman joins Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler to create a "if I were the general manager" type of mock draft. They put on their GM hats and made decisions, alternately, as if they were making the picks for the clubs.
As you will see below, the Canadiens' pick, made by Scott Wheeler, is quite surprising. He thinks the Canadiens will select none other than forward Berkly Catton.
1. SAN JOSE - Macklin Celebrini - C (NCAA)
2. CHICAGO - Ivan Demidov - RW (MHL)
3. ANAHEIM - Artyom Levshunov - RD (NCAA)
4. COLUMBUS - Carter Yakemchuk - RD (WHL)
5. MONTREAL - Berkly Catton - C (WHL)
6. UTAH - Anton Silayev - LD (KHL)
7. OTTAWA - Zeev Buium - LD (NCAA)
8. SEATTLE - Zayne Parekh - RD (OHL)
9. CALGARY - Cayden Lindstrom - C (WHL)
10. NEW JERSEY - Sam Dickinson - LD (OHL)
11. BUFFALO - Cole Eiserman - LW (USHL)
12. PHILADELPHIA - Beckett Sennecke - RW (OHL)
13. MINNESOTA - Stian Solberg - LD (SHL)
14. SAN JOSE - Tij Iginla - C (WHL)
15. DETROIT - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard - RW (SWE)
It's interesting to see that the Canadiens, in this simulation, would pass on Cayden Lindstrom, Tij Iginla, and Cole Eiserman. Here are Wheeler's explanations for this surprising choice:
Also, with the Jets' pick, the 26th overall, Wheeler selects forward Sacha Boisvert. The aspiring GM thinks that adding the Quebec native is a natural choice due to his size, skills, competitiveness, and intangibles. He sees him becoming a future third-line center behind Suzuki and Catton in the coming years.
POLL | ||
Who would you take first with the fifth overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens? | ||
Berkly Catton | 65 | 9.5 % |
Tij Iginla | 221 | 32.4 % |
Artyom Levshunov | 32 | 4.7 % |
Cayden Lindstrom | 364 | 53.4 % |
List of polls |