Fansided

2018 NHL Draft: Report card grades for every team

By Jeremy Lambert

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 22: Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadians pose for a picture of the 2018 NHL draft on June 22, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Jesperi Kotkaniemi poses after being selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JUNE 22: Jesperi Kotkaniemi poses after being selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Montreal Canadiens – B

First Round Pick: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (C) (3)

Leave it to Montreal to screw this up. Filip Zadina was right there for the taking, but they went with Jesperi Kotkaniemi based on the need for a center. It’s not like they traded away Alex Galchenyuk a week ago or anything. The problem with taking Kotkaniemi here, besides the fact that Zadina was still on the board, is that Kotkaniemi won’t immediately help them at center. The Canadiens need someone in the middle who can step in and help while their window with Carey Price and Shea Weber is still open. Kotkaniemi is still a year or two away.

Other Notable Picks: Jacob Olofsson (C) (56), Allan McShane (C) (97), Cole Fonstad (C) (128)

Did you know that the Montreal Canadiens needed a center? They selected five centers in the first four rounds. They know that there are only four center positions in the NHL, right? I like the selections of Jacob Olofsson and Allan McShane. The Canadiens got good value for both players. They also picked up Cole Fonstad, a point-per-game player in the WHL, in the fifth round. The good news for Montreal fans is that they had 12 picks in the first five rounds. Odds are they find at least three solid NHL players in this draft.

I wasn’t feeling Montreal’s first-round pick because Zadina should have been the obvious choice. Especially when Montreal ended up taking every center available later in the draft. But the volume of picks count for something and I do think they picked a few diamonds in the rough later in the draft.

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