Trade concluded earlier between the Habs and Jets: a 1st round pick that will be monitored following the Monahan transaction

On each of these occasions, fans immediately became interested in the standings of the teams owning the pick, hoping for their downfall.

For a third consecutive season, fans will be keeping an eye on another team.

Indeed, following the Sean Monahan trade, many will closely follow the final standings of the Winnipeg Jets. They will thus hope for losses by the Manitoba team so that the Habs obtains the best possible pick.

As of Monday morning, the CH owns, according to the Tankathon site, the 28th overall pick of the next draft.

While a playoff appearance is almost assured for the Jets, nothing guarantees they won't slip in the standings by the end of the season. Monahan's starts in Winnipeg have given CH fans hope as the Jets lost 3-0 and 4-1 against the Penguins and the Flyers respectively. However, a 1-0 victory against the poor San Jose Sharks put them back on the right track.

Many believe that Kent Hughes will repeat at the next draft with another transaction like the Kirby Dach one. For this, he will need the best possible pick from the Jets to help attract GMs.

As Mathias Brunet mentions in a recent paper, the success rate for finding an NHL regular drops from 50% to 30% from ranks 21-31 to 31-45. Therefore, it is hoped that the Jets' pick will be closer to the 21st rank than to the 31st.

For example, Hughes was forced to send the last draft's 31st overall pick (Panthers' pick), plus a 2nd round pick and Gianni Fairbrother to acquire Alex Newhook. Having a higher pick in the standings would allow the GM to add, who knows, a 3rd round pick instead of a 2nd round pick in a future transaction.

A file to follow!