NHL mock draft: Final projections for every first-round pick

3. Montreal Canadiens – RW Filip Zadina

With Alex Galchenyuk gone and Max Pacioretty possibly not far behind, the Canadiens will need to add a goal scorer. Fortunately for them, they will have Filip Zadina fall to them at No. 3. He may not be the total offensive package that Svechnikov is, but Zadina can score goals. One of the only problems that will be facing Zadina when he gets to Montreal is who is he going to play with? Outside of Jonathan Drouin there is not a lot of other pieces there. Newly acquired Max Domi is a good all-around player, but not enough to carry an offense.

If you like goals, you like Filip Zadina. He scores like crazy and is extremely creative with the puck. Montreal is in a tough spot at third overall because they desperately need centers but there isn’t one that ranks high enough to be taken at three. There are players close like Brady Tkachuk or even Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but it is hard to pass on a player like Zadina. He had a lights-out performance at the World Juniors tournament this year, scoring seven goals in seven games that helped his draft stock. Zadina is not afraid to make plays for his teammates, either. He picked up 38 assists to go with his 44 goals in the QMJHL.

What separated Svechnikov from Zadina is the way that Svechnikov could dominate segments of a game. Yes, Zadina is a major scoring threat every time he is on the ice. But he cannot dominate the ice like Svechnikov did. Zadina needs to add more consistency to his game in all areas of the ice. He has talent and skating ability to be effective he just needs to do it. He will always be compared to Svechnikov because they are in the same draft class. The good news is if he can get more engaged, he can actually outscore Svechnikov.