Canadiens’ 1st Round Draft Pick Success Under Kent Hughes

The same can’t really be said about Filip Mesar, selected 26th overall. Mesar hasn’t developed into the offensive prospect Montreal hoped it was getting. At this point, his path toward becoming a significant NHL contributor looks like a long shot.

So, when looking back at Hughes’ first first round, the easiest assessment is that he went one-for-two. When one of those hits is the first-overall pick and becomes a major part of your core, though, it remains a successful draft. Mostly when you remember that he drafted Lane Hutson in the second round.

2023: David Reinbacher

David Reinbacher might be the most difficult Hughes first-round selection to evaluate. The Canadiens selected the Austrian defenseman fifth overall in 2023, passing on several talented forwards to address a long-term organizational need on the right side.

Since then, injuries have significantly complicated Reinbacher’s development. That’s important context. Young defensemen already tend to require patience, and missing important development time makes the process even more difficult. Reinbacher still has the size, skating and defensive tools that made Montreal believe he could eventually become a dependable top-four NHL defenseman.

At the same time, it’s fair to say the selection looks more questionable today than it did on draft night. When you’re picking fifth overall, expectations are high, and some players selected around Reinbacher have developed faster. That doesn’t make him a bust, nor does it mean Montreal made the wrong selection. It simply means Hughes hasn’t gotten a definitive answer yet. Reinbacher needs more healthy hockey before this pick can be properly evaluated. For now, the grade is incomplete.

2024: Ivan Demidov & Michael Hage

If 2023 remains uncertain, Montreal’s 2024 first round is quickly looking like one of Hughes’ biggest successes. Ivan Demidov falling to fifth overall gave the Canadiens the elite offensive prospect their rebuild desperately needed. Since arriving in Montreal, Demidov has only strengthened the belief that he can become one of the franchise’s most important players.

His creativity, hands and ability to generate offense give Montreal another potential star to build around. The idea of Demidov spending his prime alongside Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky and Hutson is a major reason expectations surrounding the Canadiens have risen.

Hughes wasn’t finished there. Montreal traded up to the 21st overall to select Michael Hage. It was an aggressive decision, but Hage’s development has made it increasingly easy to understand why the Canadiens were willing to move assets to get him. Hage has emerged as one of Montreal’s best prospects and gives the organization another potential offensive centre. There is still development ahead, but the early returns are extremely encouraging.

2026: Gleb Pugachyov

There is no 2025 section because the Canadiens didn’t make a first-round selection that year, which brings us to 2026. Montreal moved up in the first round to select Russian winger Gleb Pugachyov, adding another intriguing piece to an already deep prospect pool.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Pugachyov brings an interesting combination of size, skill and power. Montreal already has plenty of smaller, highly skilled players in its system, so adding a bigger winger capable of complementing those players made sense. Still, this is obviously a selection that can’t be evaluated yet.

Pugachyov was drafted only a few months ago and has years of development ahead of him. Much like Hage in 2024, though, Hughes’ willingness to move up when his scouting staff identifies a player it wants is worth noting.

Hughes’ First-Round Record Is Encouraging

It’s still far too early to give Hughes a definitive grade for his drafting. Slafkovsky and Demidov look like major pieces of Montreal’s future, Hage is trending in an extremely promising direction, and Pugachyov is just beginning his journey. Mesar appears to be the biggest miss so far, while Reinbacher remains the biggest question mark.

But that’s drafting. No general manager hits on every first-round selection. What matters most is finding impact players, particularly when picking near the top of the draft. Hughes appears to have done that multiple times already.