9. Montreal Canadiens: F Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
With Ivan Demidov and Cayden Lindstrom gone by the fourth pick, the worst-case scenario presented itself to the Canadiens. A decision needed to be made to either reach for a forward at No. 5, take a right-shot defenseman — Zayne Parekh and Carter Yakemchuk were sitting right there — or trade down, get some additional draft capital and still get the forward they wanted all along. We chose door No. 3, made the trade with Calgary, added a third first-round pick (to go with the
Jets first-rounder acquired for
Sean Monahan) and drafted Tij Iginla of the Kelowna Rockets, a playoff-style forward who should help complete the Canadiens’ top-six in two years or so. We also tried to package the Jets first-round pick and
Canucks first-round pick to jump back into the teens, but the mock GMs of the
Flyers,
Wild and Sharks each said no at 12, 13 and 14, and once Beckett Sennecke was gone to the Sharks, the pursuit ended. Still, the Canadiens come away with a forward they love plus an additional first-round pick, which they could use to complete a trade on the draft floor or add another prospect.
— Arpon Basu
