Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cayden Lindstrom is selected with the 4th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets at The Sphere. Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d744e36b-2edc-4546-8c1c-e1cbed4dc34c.jpeg] Jun 28, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Cayden Lindstrom is selected with the 4th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets at The Sphere. Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Much was made of who would be the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ first pick at the 2024 draft. Picking fifth overall, the Habs’ pick was highly dependent on what the first four teams would do, but Montreal being the hockey mad market it is, it didn’t stop the press and fans alike from speculating who would be available when Kent Hughes and co. finally took to the podium. Canadiens: The Grades Are In – Goaltending Edition [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-the-grades-are-in-goaltending-edition] Canadiens: The Grades Are In – Kent Hughes [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-the-grades-are-in-kent-hughes] Canadiens: Yet More Reinforcements For The Rocket [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-yet-more-reinforcements-for-the-rocket] While most advocate that a team should always take the best player available, the fact that the Canadiens have a glaring need down the middle made picking Cayden Lindstrom a possibility. The 6-foot-4 supersize center had a lot of attributes that could have made him attractive for Montreal, but the one concern was a tricky back injury that had limited him to 32 games in his draft year. Still, 46 points in 32 games is a more than respectable output, and had he been available at number five (and if Ivan Demidov had already been taken), the Habs’ brass might have wanted to roll the dice on him. As we now know, however, he wasn’t available at number five. The Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets] claimed him at number four after the San Jose Sharks picked Macklin Celebrini at number one, the Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks] took Artyom Levshun at number two, and the Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] caused a surprise by claiming Beckett Sennecke in third place. Since the draft, Celebrini has made his NHL debut and is a Calder Trophy nominee. Levshun skated in 18 NHL games, picking up six assists, and spent the rest of his season in the AHL. Sennecke dominated in the WHL, putting up 86 points in 56 games. What did Lindstrom do? He nursed his back injury and finally skated in his first game since the draft last night, in the OHL final. His Medicine Hat Tigers signed a 4-1 win over the Spokane Chiefs, and the center registered an assist. Hopefully, this is the first of many games for the youngster, but at this stage, Canadiens fans can thank their lucky star that Columbus decided to pick Lindstrom and not Demidov. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. 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.
