Photo credit: NHL

There are trades that take a while to be fully completed, and the one that brought Sean Monahan in August 2022 is proof of that.

Nearly three years after the Canadiens acquired the veteran forward, we will finally see the conclusion of that trade this summer.

Indeed, after several conditions were met, Kent Hughes will finally receive the first-round pick he was gifted in that trade.

The Flames are positioning themselves to give Kent Hughes an excellent pick

At the time of writing, Calgary is 5 points behind the St. Louis Blues and a spot in the playoffs.

Given the way Jim Montgomery’s squad is playing in Missouri, it would be surprising to see them caught by the Flames.

As Marc-Olivier Beaudoin points out, the final pick from Calgary should therefore be 14th, 15th, or 16th overall.

That’s excellent news for Kent Hughes, who will have the opportunity to select a great player with that pick.

What a fantastic turnaround and what great value! We wouldn’t have said that at the time of the trade.

We should also not forget that the Canadiens’ own pick could end up in a similar range.

Depending on whether or not they make the playoffs, a mid-round pick is also a possibility.

As of today, according to the site Tankathon, Montreal would hold the 17th pick.

The Canadiens will have ended up with an almost ideal outcome from the first-round pick they received as a bonus in the Sean Monahan trade back in 2022.

The Flames are now 8 points clear of the “bottom 10” with 9 games left, so they won’t be dropping that far.

They’re also 5 points behind the Blues and a playoff spot (but they do have 2 games in hand). It’s going to be tough for them to make it.

The pick should end up being 14th, 15th, or 16th overall. Perfect!

– MOB

Who will Kent Hughes pick in the middle of the 1st round?

One name comes to mind when talking about a mid-1st-round pick, and that’s Justin Carbonneau.

The forward, who literally plays in the Canadiens’ backyard with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, seems to have caught the attention of the team’s front office.

Often seen at the Centre d’excellence Sports Rousseau, Nick Bobrov has had the chance to closely analyze the 18-year-old forward’s game.

After finishing the regular season ranked 2nd in Cecchini circuit scoring with 89 points in 62 games, Carbonneau currently has 2 points (both goals) in as many playoff games with the Armada.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Hughes-Gorton duo picks with that selection. And let’s not forget, they’ll have another pick not too far off from that one!

It’s quite an intriguing situation, even if the Canadiens aren’t in the top 10!