Has Kent Hughes acquired another top-10 pick in the draft?

After a period under Marc Bergevin where the Montreal organization struggled to add young, talented players through the draft, that era seems to be decisively over. In the 2022 draft class, the Canadiens potentially acquired five players who could play key roles in the team's future successes: Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Filip Mesar.

Concerning Kent Hughes's first selection, despite some fans questioning the potential of the Slovak forward after his first NHL season, Juraj Slafkovsky's recent progression has clearly dispelled any doubts. Slafkovsky has demonstrated that he possesses all the attributes necessary to become a leading player, already being one of the team's top forwards.

However, the real steal may have occurred 61 selections later when the Canadiens' brass chose the young American defenseman, Lane Hutson. Despite his small stature, the 20-year-old defenseman completely dominated the American collegiate ranks, shattering statistics held by elite players such as Cale Makar, Adam Fox, and Quinn Hughes.

In reality, aside from Bryan Leetch in the 1986-1987 season, no defenseman has accomplished what Lane Hutson is currently achieving with Boston University. After an incredible season with 48 points, including 15 goals, in 39 games last year, the Canadiens' prospect repeated his performance this year by collecting 49 points in 37 games. He is one of the key reasons his team qualified for the NCAA's Frozen Four.

Journalist Stéphane Leroux made a significant statement during his most recent appearance on «L'Antichambre,» suggesting that Lane Hutson would be selected in the top-10 if the 2022 draft were redone today. At the time, many teams were wary because of his small size, but it must be admitted that his on-ice performances are so exceptional that he would have deserved a much higher pick two years ago.

This means that the Montreal Canadiens potentially secured two of the top ten players selected in 2022, which is all the more impressive when considering the players who were drafted in the first ten picks, including names like Simon Nemec, Logan Cooley, Shane Wright, Cutter Gauthier, David Jiricek, Kevin Korchinski, Marco Kasper, Matthew Savoie, and Pavel Mintyukov.

If Stéphane Leroux's comments prove to be accurate, the CH might have played a nasty trick on its competitors.

We should not forget the selections of Filip Mesar (26th), Owen Beck (33rd), and Adam Engstrom (92nd) either. Juraj Slafkovsky's compatriot had an excellent season in the OHL, notably gathering six assists in just two playoff games. As for Owen Beck, the center player has been completely transformed since joining the Saginaw Spirit, as evidenced by his 19 goals and 38 assists (57 points) in 34 games. Finally, the Swedish defenseman had a very good year in Sweden's first division with 22 points in 51 games, and he could potentially join the Laval Rocket.