What the Montreal Canadiens will draft is certain. Who they select is very much up in the air.
The Habs GM chair may be vacant at the moment, but whoever gets the job will immediately have an opportunity to fill a long-time void for the franchise by selecting a big, skilled centre. When the Habs pick third overall on Jun. 22 in Pittsburgh, it’s virtually a lock that either Mikhail Grigorenko or Filip Forsberg will still be on the board. The really juicy question is: What should Montreal do in the entirely plausible situation that both are still available?
This is the highest selection the Canadiens have held since picking first overall in 1980 and there are actually some similarities between the two scenarios. Thirty-two years ago, the pressure was on Montreal to pluck Denis Savard from its own backyard, but GM Irving Grundman passed on the smallish playmaker in favour of another high-scoring pivot, beefy western boy Doug Wickenheiser. Savard, of course, went on to become one of the most dynamic players of the ’80s, while Wickenheiser had a fairly unremarkable NHL career and, sadly, died of cancer at age 37 in 1999.
This time out, it’s Grigorenko, a Russian, who plays junior hockey in Montreal’s province, just a few hours up the road in Quebec City. For Patrick Roy. The same Patrick Roy whom many Habs fans desperately hope is back in Montreal’s management or coaching fold shortly. Isn’t this getting fun?
Grigorenko, listed at six-foot-three and 200 pounds, finished eighth in QMJHL scoring this season with 40 goals and 85 points in 59 games. He’s not projected to be an absolutely elite player in the mould of fellow big Russian middleman Evgeni Malkin, but nobody questions his top-end talent. There are concerns, however, about his willingness to bring it every night and use that sizable frame to bull through defenders.
The only knocks associated with Forsberg’s approach are the ones he lays on opponents.
No, he doesn’t share any blood with Peter Forsberg, but the younger Forsberg, who spent this year playing in Sweden, is a banger and appears set to continue the trend of increasingly hostile young Swedes making an impact in the NHL. Again, Habs fans hoping he’s the next version of countryman Gabriel Landeskog — who’ll be holding the Calder Trophy soon enough — need to temper their optimism. But there’s no doubt the six-foot-two, 181-pounder has the skill and snarl to be a top-two centre in the NHL. Grigorenko has one more gear, Forsberg’s fire burns a bit hotter.
Montreal might not be in line for a franchise-altering talent at No. 3, but it’s critical the team nabs a high-end contributor with a pick that will set the tone for two years of crucial drafting. As a result of their seller status at the trade deadline, the Canadiens have three top-60 picks this year and four in 2013, thanks to three second-rounders in what’s considered a deep draft.
The Habs’ last very high pick was fifth-overall selection Carey Price in 2005 and the team has to feel pretty good about the prospect of having him in the crease long-term. The blueline, with P.K. Subban now two years into his NHL career and recent first-rounders Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu in the pipeline, is also trending the right way.
Now comes the chance to finally address the throbbing need for a difference-maker up the middle. Grigorenko or Forsberg? It’s now Question 1 on the application to become GM of the Montreal Canadiens.