A bit like Loto-Québec, sometimes there is a small reward.
For example: you won $10. Or, you got a free entry.
And the jackpot?
It will be for next time.
We hope, we believe, we cross our fingers, but in the end, we get a consolation prize. Connor Bedard would have changed the entire concession recovery program at the Canadian.
Now, we must continue by following the plan established for 18 months to the letter to reach standards that can allow the team to obtain a pass for the spring tournament.
Reaching the playoffs is the goal of all teams… and then: we’ll see.
So, the decision-makers of the Canadian will still be able to choose in fifth place. Not so bad since we keep repeating that this is the most impressive cuvée of recent years.
At least, what recruiters are shouting at is that the first five listed players are safe bets. Note that we have already heard this kind of refrain, but as the repechage is not a fair science, you always have to keep a little embarrassment. However, there seems to be unanimity among recruiters.
This year, you can’t go wrong.
Kent Hughes is the first to recognize that the Canadian will be able to select a promising, talented skater, a skater who will have a place in the National League.
When?
That’s another story.
But if we stick to the analyzes of observers, if we dwell on the words of Hughes maintaining that the organization’s recruiters look into the evaluation of the first choices identified on a daily basis, we will not obtain a player like Connor Bedard, but we can still welcome in the organization a skater capable of finding a place in the locker room.
Who are they?
Will Smith, maybe, but will he be available at No. 5? Adam Fantilli will possibly end up in Anaheim. Leo Carlsson will possibly land in Columbus. And we come to the file of Matvei Michkov. He will not leave Russia until the end of the 2025-2026 season. It will be necessary to wait three years, without however having the assurance that it will come to North America.
Ryan Leonard is less well known than the top five, except that several scouts have given him high marks. David Reinbacher is an Austrian who everyone says is the best defender available.
• Read also: The Bedard jackpot and nine other gems under the magnifying glass of recruiters
The options will be many for Hughes. Smith is well known to Hughes, who ran him for several years. Michkov? If the Canadian judges that he can reach three years and get a skater like Karill Kaprisov who, once landed in North America, after a few years in the KHL, became a franchise player with the Minnesota Wild. Nick Bobrov, hired to be the big boss of recruitment, in Europe, will have to take all the relevant information about Michkov’s status.
A transaction? Admittedly, the Canadian’s first choice is attractive, but the offer will have to meet the Canadian’s immediate needs.
Admittedly, the first round of selection is disappointing for supporters of the Habs. Senior management advocates patience, we are talking about several more years before achieving the objectives set.
Patience has limits, however, we can rush events without relying solely on the draft of amateur players.
The Seattle Kraken faced the Dallas Stars in the second round of the playoffs. The Kraken took two years to reach such a peak. How did they build their training? With a good first-round pick, Matt Beniers, with waivers, Eeli Tolvanen, with trades where they gave up a few draft picks, fourth, fifth and sixth, to acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand, among others, with a few independent players without compensation and ensuring that the company’s financial commitments are respected. In other words, no unjustified contracts. The Golden Knights are in the playoffs for the fourth time in the team’s five-year history. They took a different direction than the Kraken. They hired veterans at high prices. They changed their administrative structure.
Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes won’t be judged for missing the lottery on Monday night, but they will be judged on the actions they take over the next few weeks.
This is where it plays out.
Knowing how to take advantage of bargains, knowing how to identify the needs of the company, and there are many…
If Michkov is the player who is identified as having as much talent as Bedard…well, almost, the decision makers must consider waiting three years, as long as he comes to North America and on this point, we don’t have no guarantees. Either way, Hughes and Gorton will have to continue their work to make the stimulus package even more effective. No matter what choice the Canadian will make. You don’t build a team just by the draft.