Between now and the end of the season, there are a few things to keep an eye on in the Habs organization.
For example? Lane Hutson, who will be making his NHL debut this week. We can think of the Laval Rocket, who are fighting for the playoffs. Think of the injured, who may or may not finish the season healthy.
And, of course, we can think about the last two games as such, against Detroit on Monday and Tuesday, in Michigan and Quebec respectively.
That said, if there’s one thing we’ll be following religiously, it’s the lottery. After all, it will greatly affect the summer of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, who will still have the chance to draft a big talent this year.
And let’s just say, with two games left in the season, nothing is official.
Even if the Habs can’t go down among the four worst teams in the NHL and can’t catch up with Seattle or Calgary, the fact remains that nothing is decided with the Salt Lake City Coyotes and Kanata Senators. Quite the contrary, in fact.
In fact, here’s what the standings look like.
Currently, the Habs “control their destiny” in terms of draft picks. If the club loses its last two games, it will finish behind the Sens and Coyotes.
Note that in the event of a tie, the Habs would finish behind the Coyotes or Senators on the basis of regular wins. The Habs have 20, the Coyotes 27 and the Senators 24.
With a regular loss tonight, Martin St-Louis’ men could no longer overtake the Sens. And with just one point from two games remaining, the Coyotes would also be out of reach.
What this basically means is that the Habs could finish 26th, 27th or 28th in the standings. That means they could have an 8.5%, 7.5% or 6.5% chance of winning next month’s lottery. These are the three possibilities for the lottery.
It’s getting a little clearer, but nothing’s official.
Finishing lower would help win the lottery, but would also give the Habs a better choice than their two opponents – assuming the lottery isn’t won by Ottawa or Tempe, of course.
Right now, the Habs can either draft 1st, 2nd, 3rd (highly unlikely, but not impossible), 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th. So, no, nothing’s decided yet: the final games and the lottery will change things in the coming weeks.
This week, the Sens take on the Rangers and Bruins. As for the Coyotes, they’ll take on the Oilers.
In gusto
– Two playoff spots left in the East.
– The Jets’ pick could pay off big for the Habs.
– The NHL wants to settle the Coyotes file this week.
– Neymar in Miami? [BPM Sports]
– Jesus is king, Kent Johnson reminds us.
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