This year, the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] will have the 28th overall pick in the first round of the NHL draft; had it not been for the Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators]’ penalty stemming from their Evgenii Dadonov trade, they would have been 29th. What are they likely to do with the pick? History suggests they are likely to move it. Kent Hughes has said that his team’s run to the Eastern Conference Final won’t change the Canadiens’ course of action; they want to stick to the plan. Ever since the plan started, though, the Habs GM has been active on the draft floor (even when there wasn’t really a draft floor). Canadiens Prospect Make AHL Top Prospects Team [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-prospect-make-ahl-top-prospects-team] Canadiens: What’s Next For David Reinbacher? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-what-s-next-for-david-reinbacher] One Last Goodbye For Loyal Fans? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/one-last-goodbye-for-loyal-fans] Some will tell you that trading picks in a rebuild is not a sound strategy, but it always depends on the return. Draft picks are essentially a gamble; you don’t know if the player you pick will even make it to the NHL, even first-round picks are not guaranteed to make it. When he used a draft pick to acquire Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks], he did it to get a 21-year-old who had already proven he could play in the league and fit in with his projected core age-wise. He couldn’t know at that stage that the pick he traded to the Hawks would become Frank Nazar and how the young center would pan out. Of course, he still used his own first pick to get Juraj Slafkovsky. Fast forward a year later, and on the eve of the draft, he traded one of his first-round picks, a second-round pick, and Gianni Fairbrother for 22-year-old Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche]. Another young forward who had proven he could play in the show and fit in age-wise. Even though he traded one pick, he used his own pick to draft right-shot blueliner David Reinbacher. Then, in 2024, the Canadiens used their own pick to draft Ivan Demidov and then traded the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets]' first-round pick (which they got for Sean Monahan), a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick to move up from the 26th overall pick to the 21st overall pick because they had their heart set on Michael Hage. That was the first draft in which Hughes used more than one first-round pick. Finally, in 2025, the Canadiens held the 16th and 17th overall picks but used both to acquire Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders]. That marked a shift in strategy. After his team made the playoffs, Hughes thought it was time to fix some needs, even if it wasn’t with very young players, not that Dobson was old; he was still just 25 years old, but he was a proven first-pair defenseman. The price tag was hefty: two first-round picks and Emil Heineman, but it was worth it. Dobson had already played through his ELC and a bridge deal, and wanted to sign a long-term deal, but not with the Islanders. He asked to be traded, and, looking at the Canadiens, he decided they were a team worth committing to in the long term. Even if the Habs didn’t pick in the first round, they traded up in the second round to swoop in and select Alexander Zharovsky, who was the man they had their eye on in the first round in any case. Now, as the league prepares to crown its champions, the Canadiens stopped playing only a couple of weeks ago. They made a deep run in the playoffs, and it's fair to say that the Dobson trade panned out. Hughes and Jeff Gorton didn’t even make it to the combine this season. Montreal still has needs to address: a second-line center and another right-shot defenseman. This time, the Habs only have one first-round pick, and to get what they need, they may need to shell out more than that. Thankfully, they still have their first-round pick for the next three drafts as well and a full cupboard of prospects. The 28th overall pick isn’t guaranteed to make the NHL, and the young Canadiens are maturing. Captain Nick Suzuki will be 27 in a couple of months. The core is getting a little bit older. You can expect Hughes to work the phones and work them hard. The Canadiens are sticking to the plan, but it's no longer about asset accumulation; it’s about addressing needs and adding players to the core, players that, like Dobson, will be ready to pitch in now, not in two, three or four years. Unless Hughes cannot find a player who fills a particular need, don’t expect the Tricolore to speak in the first round. If everything goes according to plan, you’ll hear Gary Bettman say, “We have a trade to announce,” and if he utters those six words, you’ll know Hughes and Gorton have done it again; they’ve found a way to improve their team immediately. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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]. 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