Draft: Canadian team gets 26th overall pick

That’s it: the second round of the playoffs is officially over.

With last night’s elimination of the Canucks (do they know shootouts are allowed in the NHL?), the playoff picture is officially complete for the Final Four.

In the West, the Oilers will face the Stars. And in the East, it’ s a series pitting the Rangers against the Panthers. I predict the Stars in 6 and the Rangers in 6.

From 16 to 4.

Lets hear your picks for the Conference Finals! pic.twitter.com/9b5MYu3C6E

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 21, 2024

For the Habs, what was interesting to follow was the outcome of the series between the two Canadian teams. After all, it was the last word on the draft.

As my colleague Mathis Therrien explained over the weekend, an Oilers win in the series meant the Habs would get the 26th pick of the auction.

A Canucks win meant the 27th pick.

And since Edmonton won, Kent Hughes will finally get the 26th pick. Winnipeg’s first-round pick was acquired for Sean Monahan.

With the 2nd RD in the books, we now know the order of the first 28 selections in the draft next month.

24- Colorado #GoAvsGo
25- Ottawa #LetsGoSens (from BOS)
26- Montreal #GoHabsGo (from WPG)
27- Carolina #CauseChaos
28- Calgary #Flames (from VAN)https://t.co/950OhwVqcp pic.twitter.com/BdcZsnHfFJ

– CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 21, 2024

Filip Mesar is the 26th overall pick.

The 12 clubs that lost in the first two rounds of the playoffs draft between 17th and 28th. Clubs are ranked in order of overall ranking… except for one division champion.

Division champions who lose in the first two rounds are drafted more in the 28th-ranked corner.

That’s why the Habs didn’t know whether to draft 26th or 27th: the Canucks won their division, but the Oilers finished second.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The only clubs behind Winnipeg (fourth overall in season) for the draft are the four teams still alive in the playoffs, the Hurricanes (third overall in season) and the division-champion Canucks.

Seven clubs traded their first pick this year.

14th: the Sharks have the Penguins’ pick
20th: the Blackhawks have the Lightning’s pick
25th: Senators select Bruins
26th: Canadiens pick the Jets
28th: Flames pick Canucks
Between 29th and 32nd: Ducks pick Oilers, Flyers pick Panthers

The Canadiens will have the option of trading their pick for reinforcements (a la Alex Newhook last year, for example) or drafting a prospect a la Sacha Boisvert, for example.

It should be remembered, however, that if the Habs trade their 26th pick, they won’t draft until the end of the second round – once the top-5 is behind us. The Habs’ second-round pick was traded in 2021 (Christian Dvorak), but the club has the Avalanche’s pick (Artturi Lehkonen) in the second round.

(Credit: Cap Friendly)

In a row

– The four remaining clubs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since the early 2000s. They have, however, all reached the Final in the last twenty years or so.

One of the remaining 4 teams will hoist the #StanleyCup for the first time THIS CENTURY