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Official: Habs get 16th pick in next draft

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated May 5, 2025 9:31 PM ET

The NHL draft lottery took place this evening. For the first time since 2021, the Habs’ pick wasn’t part of the lottery… but there were still implications for the Montreal team.

In fact, the club had to keep an eye on the Flames’ pick, which had the 16th best chances of winning the lottery. In the (very probable) event that this pick didn’t win the lottery, it would belong to the Habs.

And had it won the lottery, the Flames would have kept their pick (which would have become 6th overall)… and the Habs would have ended up with the Panthers’ first-round pick.

Obviously, the Habs wanted to avoid a miracle… and the good news is that logic prevailed: the Flames’ pick didn’t win the lottery.

The Habs will therefore officially have the 16th pick in the next draft… and, at the same time, the transaction that brought Sean Monahan to Montreal is now complete.

Confirmed: the Habs will draft 16th and 17th. Two 1st-round picks put the organization in a very enviable position.

– Nicolas Cloutier (@NCloutierTVA) May 5, 2025

In addition to the 16th pick, the Habs also have their own first-round pick, which was already guaranteed to be 17th. That means the club has two consecutive mid-first-round picks… for now.

Because we know that in Montreal, the idea of seeking immediate reinforcement via trade is being considered by management… and these two picks provide a nice bargaining chip for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.

I don’t expect the Habs to keep their two picks. I expect at least one of them to be traded between now and the draft… and I wouldn’t be surprised if both leave if they can bring the Habs a big payday.

The club is no longer in the rebuilding stage where it has to keep drafting a ton of players: it has to coach its young core, which has already arrived in town.

Let’s see what the next few weeks hold for the Habs, but the good news is that they have a nice trade chip with two consecutive mid-first-round picks. Receiving the Panthers’ late first-round pick would have made for a much less attractive trade.