The Montreal Canadiens have acquired a first-round pick in 2024 from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for three draft picks, reports the team on Friday morning. General manager Kent Hughes confirmed that the team has acquired pick no. 21 in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the Club’s first-round (26th), second-round (57th), and seventh-round (198th) picks in this year’s draft.
The Canadiens have 10 picks now at the 2024 NHL Draft and Darren Dreger of TSN writes, “Will be interesting to see if Hughes is able to work more magic. He’s hoping to add another top 10 pick and is listening to interest in moving up or slightly down from 5.” Dreger adds, “He’s also involved in a number of player-related discussions.”
It was clear the Canadiens were going to be a busy team this offseason as they retool their roster and Hughes has proven to be the kind of GM who likes to take calculated risks on players other clubs are open to moving on from. Hughes has picked up some gems in recent drafts and, in some cases, flipped those players for a profit.
Are the Canadiens Trying to Do Something Big?
The Canadiens paid a hefty price to move five spots, but they have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league. One could argue they can afford to do this if there is a player like in the draft, or they need assets to make a bigger splash. There has been talk they are in on Martin Necas and if they need a better first-round pick to outbid another team, this move could be part of that plan.
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