Hours away from the start of the 2024 NHL draft, we have our first trade from the Montreal Canadiens. In a deal with the LA Kings, they have acquired the 21st overall pick, moving themselves up with their second pick of the first round.
The full deal is picks 26, acquired in trade from Winnipeg in the Sean Monahan deal, pick 57 previously acquired from Colorado, and pick 198, a seventh-rounder this season to move up five spots. This means the Canadiens will not hold a second round pick this year, but have a more valuable first in return.
What their plans are with this pick remain to be seen. It could be that they covet a player they didn’t feel would fall to them at 26th-overall, or that they feel the 21st-overall selection could benefit them more in a separate trade. The modus operandi for Kent Hughes in the past has been to try and acquire players further along in their development, so anything is possible at this point.
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