The NHL Draft is never an exact science - you're betting on potential, projection, and an 18-year-old’s ability to grow into a professional athlete. But when a team consistently misses in the first round, it catches up fast.
That’s exactly what happened under former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin. From 2012 to 2018, Montreal’s first-round picks were more miss than hit, and it played a major role in ownership’s decision to part ways with Bergevin in late 2021 and hit the reset button.
Let’s take a closer look at that stretch: Alex Galchenyuk, Mike McCarron, Nikita Scherbak, Noah Juulsen, Mikhail Sergachev, Ryan Poehling, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Sergachev was clearly the standout - taken ninth overall in 2016 - but he was flipped to Tampa Bay just a year later in a deal for Jonathan Drouin.
The rest of that list? A mix of underwhelming development, limited NHL impact, and in some cases, players who never found their footing in the league.
To be fair, Bergevin did land Cole Caufield in 2019 - a dynamic scorer who’s become a core piece - and Kaiden Guhle in 2020, who’s shown promise on the blue line. But his 2021 first-rounder, Logan Mailloux, brought controversy and criticism, clouding what was already a rocky draft record.
Since taking over, GM Kent Hughes has brought a different philosophy to the Canadiens’ draft table - one that’s already showing signs of paying off. He’s made five first-round picks since stepping into the role: Juraj Slafkovsky and Filip Mesar in 2022, David Reinbacher in 2023, and Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage in 2024.
Slafkovsky, taken No. 1 overall, is starting to justify that top billing. At just 21 years old, he’s producing at a strong clip - 21 goals, 23 assists for 44 points in 56 games - and showing the kind of power-forward upside the Canadiens were banking on. Mesar, meanwhile, hasn’t quite found his stride, and Reinbacher’s development has been slowed by injuries, leaving his long-term trajectory still up in the air.
But the 2024 class? That’s where things get exciting.
Ivan Demidov, selected fifth overall, is looking like a home run. He led all NHL rookies in scoring heading into Wednesday’s slate with a 12-34-46 line and is firmly in the Calder Trophy conversation.
If he wins it, it would mark back-to-back Calder winners for the Canadiens - a feat we haven’t seen from the same franchise since Bobby Orr and Derek Sanderson pulled it off with the Bruins in the late '60s. Lane Hutson, last year’s winner, broke a decades-long drought for Montreal, becoming the first Hab to win the award since Ken Dryden in 1971-72.
Then there’s Michael Hage, taken 21st overall in that same 2024 draft. He turned heads at the IIHF World Junior Championship, where he led all scorers with 15 points (2 goals, 13 assists) in just seven games for Team Canada.
Back at the University of Michigan, Hage is continuing that momentum, putting up 12 goals and 23 assists in 26 games as a sophomore. That’s not just good - that’s elite-level production for a college player his age.
Hughes also took a swing on goaltender Jacob Fowler in the third round of the 2023 draft (69th overall), right after selecting Reinbacher. It’s early, but Fowler’s development will be one to watch, especially given the importance of finding a long-term answer in net.
And while the Canadiens didn’t have a first-round pick in 2025, Hughes still made noise by selecting Russian forward Alexander Zharovsky early in the second round (34th overall). Zharovsky has been lighting it up in the KHL with Ufa Salavat Yulayev - 13 goals, 23 assists for 36 points in 44 games - and is the frontrunner for the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
That’s the same honor Demidov claimed last season after posting 19 goals and 30 assists in 65 games with SKA St. Petersburg.
All told, Hughes’ early draft record is trending in the right direction. If you’re keeping score, he’s 3-for-5 on first-rounders so far, with Reinbacher still a wait-and-see and Mesar needing to take a step.
That’s a far cry from the struggles of the previous regime. And when you’re rebuilding a franchise, hitting on your top picks isn’t just helpful - it’s essential.
The Canadiens are still a work in progress, no doubt. But for the first time in a while, there’s a real pipeline of talent emerging. And if this draft momentum continues, the Habs might just be building something worth watching - not just in the future, but right now.