Montreal Canadiens NHL Mock Draft 2024: Looking at Habs’ two projected first-round picks and beyond

The time has come for the Montreal Canadiens NHL Mock Draft for 2024. The Habs will be busy in this year’s NHL Draft with 12 picks throughout the Draft’s seven rounds. But it will be Montreal's two first-round picks that will produce the most excitement.

Firstly, let’s look at how the Canadiens will pick in this year’s NHL Draft, according to NHL.com:

1. First round, 5th overall
2. First round, 26th overall (from Winnipeg)
3. Second round, 57th overall
4. Third round, 70th overall
5. Third round, 78th overall (from Minnesota via Washington)
6. Fourth round, 102nd overall
7. Fifth round, 130th overall
8. Fifth round, 134th overall
9. Sixth round, 166th overall
10. Seventh round, 198th overall
11. Seventh round, 210th overall (from Washington)
12. Seventh round, 224th overall (from Edmonton)

The bulk of the Canadiens’ picks in this year’s NHL Draft will be in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds, with a total of seven picks. Nevertheless, the Habs could hit paydirt in the first three rounds.

So, this NHL Mock Draft will focus predominantly on rounds one through three, as these rounds hold the highest probability of yielding successful NHL players.

Montreal Canadiens 2024 NHL Mock Draft

#1: First round, 5th overall

Let's start this NHL Mock Draft with the Habs' fifth-overall pick. It’s tough to imagine the Habs trading this pick. Montreal wouldn’t deal it away unless a significant offer were in place. Otherwise, expect the Canadiens to Cayden Lindstrom from the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Lindstrom is a talented center who could eventually slot in behind captain Nick Suzuki. Lindstrom adds size and skill to complement other gifted players like Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafskovsky. Plus, having Kirby Dach for a full season should allow Lindstrom to develop easily throughout the Habs’ system.

#2: First round, 26th overall

The Habs acquired this pick in the Sean Monahan trade with Winnipeg. As such, the pick is late in the first round but could yield value to clubs looking to get back into the first round, like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets or Vancouver Canucks.

Barring a trade, a good pick at this point could be Russian forward Igor Chernyshov. Chernyshov is known for a well-rounded game. He’s a dynamic forward who could emerge as a pleasant surprise late in the first round.

#3: Second round, 57th overall

The Habs’ sole second-round pick could be used to take Kamil Bednarik. Bednarik has emerged from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). Now, Bednarik plans to attend Boston University next season. Montreal fans shouldn’t expect to see him in the NHL any time soon. Nevertheless, Bednarik has put up solid point totals across the USNTDP and the USHL. As a result, he could become a highly valuable pick for Montreal moving forward.

#4: Third round, 70th overall

With their first third-round pick, the Habs could take a player that slips out of the second round. A good choice could be Justin Poirier, a talented, if undersized, forward. Nevertheless, he could develop into a speedy winger who could develop into a potential middle-six winger.

#5: Third round, 78th overall

Unless the Canadiens are looking for a specific positional need, such as taking a goaltender, an interesting pick could be Finnish defenseman Jesse Pulkkinen. Pulkkinen has played in the Finnish pro leagues and has put up decent numbers along the way.

#6: Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds

Predicting who the Canadiens could take at this stage of an NHL Mock Draft is complex. In particular, it's hard to predict which players could still be on the board in the later rounds.

This NHL Mock Draft projects that the Habs will target specific positional needs. These needs include a goalie and the blue line. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Habs focus on forwards in the first three rounds and then the blue line in the back half of the NHL Draft.

It’s also worth mentioning that these later-round picks could be used as part of trade bait. While this NHL Mock Draft doesn't necessarily account for trades, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Montreal use some of these additional picks to make a deal work for a roster player who could make the team next season.