TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button has released his final draft rankings and it has Habs fans buzzing!
The 2023 NHL Entry Draft is just over two weeks away and there's no shortage of opinions when it comes to the player that the Montreal Canadiens will select with the fifth overall pick. But suggest to a Habs fan that Kent Hughes should choose a defenseman in that slot and you may wish to take a step or two back.
On social media, the mere mention that the Canadiens would consider a rearguard on their first trip to the podium in Nashville typically draws a fierce reaction. That's somewhat understandable given the availability of high-octane, skilled forwards at the top of the draft.
But we've heard VP of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton speak about the difficulty acquiring a top-pairing, puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback the power play. It's the type of player that must be drafted. Gorton added that the Canadiens currently don't have a player with that particular skillset in the organization.
Montreal is developing a talented crop of young left-shot defensemen. With respect to NHL defensive prospects, the Canadiens are quite thin on the right side with just Justin Barron and Logan Mailloux.
At the recent NHL Scouting Combine, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes was asked about draft-eligible defenseman David Reinbacher. The 18-year-old is a right-shot defenseman.
"He’s rated the top defenseman in the draft for a reason,” Hughes said responding to a question from The Athletic. “He is big, he defends very well. He’s got a very mature defensive game, which often, you see the reverse, right? That’s the last part of the game that comes. He is an efficient puck mover. So he is a talented prospect."
In his final draft ranking of the season, TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button has left many Habs fans puzzled by listing a defenseman fifth overall. But not Reinbacher.
Button has ranked Sweden's Axel Sandin-Pellikka at No. 5, one spot back of Russian forward Matvei Mitchkov and one place ahead of Will Smith, who completed his first full year as part of the US NTDP.
Sandin-Pellikka spent the 2022-23 season playing for Skellefteå AIK of the SHL and was part of Team Sweden at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
"He’s the best defenceman in the draft," Button said about Sandin-Pellikka. "And he’s just continuously showed me that. I watch the poise, the ability to control the game in every single zone, and seemingly do it with a calm and an ease that is eerily reminiscent of Sergei Zubov."
"He’s not going to overwhelm you with his blazing skill or any blazing quality, but his brain is advanced, massively," added Button.
It would appear that Button has a much less favorable opinion of Reinbacher, who is listed 20th overall in his final ranking.
Do you think that Kent Hughes would pass on Smith to select Sandin-Pellikka?