Habs GM Kent Hughes also gives up a second-round pick (57th overall) and a seventh-round pick (198th overall) in trade with Los Angeles.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman didn’t even get a chance to say: “We have a trade to announce.”
More than five hours before the start of Friday’s NHL Draft in Las Vegas (7 p.m., SN, TVA Sports), Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes announced in a news release he had acquired the 21st overall pick from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 26th pick, the 57th pick (second round) and the 198th pick (seventh round).
The Canadiens now have 10 picks at the draft, including the fifth overall. They no longer have a second-round pick. They will have two picks in the third round, one in the fourth, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. The draft will continue Saturday morning with rounds 2-7.
“It’s 24 hours from the draft, so we got a group that’s very excited of the opportunities that are ahead,” Jeff Gorton, the Canadiens’ executive vice-president of hockey operations, said when he met with the media Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas. “We’re picking fifth, so it’s a huge opportunity for us to add to our group. Everyone’s excited. A couple of months ago it seemed far away, but here we are and we’re ready to go.
“Kent is very busy right now,” Gorton added. “It’s that kind of draft. I feel like you’re seeing some teams move, jockey for position in the draft in the first round. I think we’re going to see a lot of that. We’re having a lot conversations about that, about what’s the right scenario for us — whether you stay where you are. What are we going to do at 26 (now 21). So there’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of conversations. Like I said, it’s exciting and I look forward to how it’s going to play out.”
Gorton said he didn’t expect Hughes to trade the No. 5 pick.
“We’ve been going through for months now scenarios of what it might look like at five,” Gorton said. “But we are at the mercy of some other teams and the decisions they make, too. We’re making educated decisions, just like you guys are, and I think we’re comfortable with our list. It’s not going to change. We’re going to live with our list. It is what it is and we’re looking forward to it.”