The first round of the NHL entry draft is in the books, and there were a few surprises. Before the Toronto Maple Leafs even stepped up to the podium to select Auston Matthews, Montreal made a pair of trades. The first saw Lars Eller being shipped to the Washington Capitals.
Next, Marc Bergevin acquired Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Matla takes a look at what these moves mean for the Canadiens.
The Columbus Blue Jackets shook things up by selecting Pierre-Luc Dubois third overall, which set off a chain reaction of picks which left defenceman Mikhail Sergachev available for the Habs.
Saturday morning, rounds two through seven will take place and it should be a wild day of rapid fire picks, and possibly some more trade action. Here’s the breakdown of how to watch.
Start time: Saturday June 25, 10 AM EDT / 7 AM PDT
Schedule and TV Coverage: NHL Network, Sportsnet
Just like Friday’s first round, you can stay tuned to Habs EOTP for an open thread to keep informed on all the action if you’re not near a television.
Marc Bergevin can be expected to give an update on a contract status for newly acquired Andrew Shaw, who is currently an unsigned restricted free agent. Prior to the trade announcement, Marc Bergevin was seen in conversation with Pat Brisson, who represents Shaw, so it’s possible they have begun negotiating the framework for a deal.
Montreal lost both its second round picks to acquire Shaw and unless they make more moves, won’t pick until the middle of the third round, with pick #70.
