With the draft fast approaching, it’s time to look at players who could potentially be available when the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] take to the figurative stage of the decentralized draft. It’s no secret that in an ideal world, the Habs would be able to barter their pick for some immediate help, but it’s far from guaranteed that it will happen. The Canadiens may not need an undersized offensive defenseman since they already have Lane Hutson, but if Xavier Villeneuve is still available at 28, they should consider giving him a shot. The 18-year-old Laval native is ranked 18th amongst the North American skaters. At 5-foot-11 and 162 pounds, he doesn’t have the physique that teams normally want from a blueliner, which is why he may fall in the draft, just like Hutson did. Canadiens Potential Draft Target: Maddox Dagenais [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-potential-draft-target-maddox-dagenais] Canadiens Had Award-Winning Season, Just Not The One Award They Actually Want [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-had-award-winning-season-just-not-the-one-award-they-actually-want] Canadiens Prospect Could Be Great Trade Chip [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-prospect-could-be-great-trade-chip] The Habs have shown in the past that they’re not opposed to taking a risk on smaller players, and it might be worth doing it again for Villeneuve. The youngster is a point-per-game left-shot player on the blueline and has a full bag of tricks. He’s fantastic at walking the blueline to separate himself from the opponent and create shooting lanes. He’s good at evading coverage and has mastered the art of the spin move, a risky but effective maneuver when properly executed. Last season, he put up 38 points in just 37 games, having missed a lot of time with an injury, but judging by his production in the playoffs, 14 points in 17 games, he was right as rain in time for the spring dance. If you need someone to launch the attack, he’s your man with a good stretch pass, but he can also take matters into his own hands and carry the puck up the ice if needed. On the other side of the puck, he’s insistent; he pressurizes the opposition from the moment his team loses the puck, the kind of defensive coverage Martin St-Louis likes. THN’s Tony Ferrari describes him as follows [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/2026-nhl-draft-rankings-ferrari-s-top-50-before-the-world-juniors]: > A gifted offensive defenseman who is among the most skilled playmakers in the > draft. His vision and anticipation with the puck are excellent, allowing him > to create offense from the back end. Villeneuve has some of the shiftiest > mitts of any blueliners in the draft class, evading pressure at the top of the > zone. - If he slips and the Canadiens still have their pick, he would be a good gamble to make. Probably not to have him in the lineup one day, but to use him as a trade chip once he’s shown what he can do at the professional level. There are plenty of teams that lack a good offensive defenseman, and at the end of the day, the best player available should be taken at the draft, regardless of positional needs. Nobody wants another Jesperi Kotkaniemi incident. After spending the last season with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, he’ll be heading to the NCAA to play with Hutson’s Alma Mater, Boston University. Needless to say, the team knows how to handle that kind of player. In two years with the Boston Terriers, Hutson had put up 97 points in 77 games. It’s also worth noting that he did manage to get the puck in the garbage can from the far end of the room when the Canadiens interviewed him at the combine, not that it should matter, but it shows he’s able to deal with high-pressure situations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News. Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I].
