The Montreal Canadiens owned 12 picks heading into the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, however, it was rather clear that they were not going to end up with a dozen new prospects once the festivities wrapped up.
And while that may seem counterintuitive for a team that’s just a few years removed from starting the tear down and rebuild, it speaks to the solid work done by Kent Hughes and Co., particularly their penchant for accumulating valuable assets.
Consequently, the Canadiens could afford to aggressively address pressing needs, as evidenced by the trade that saw top-pairing defenceman Noah Dobson join the franchise in exchange for a pair of first-round picks.
MUST READ: Instant Analysis – Dobson Trade Tidy Business By The Canadiens
Beyond the Dobson trade, which should help ensure an upward trajectory at a time when the Canadiens are set to close the books on their short-term rebuild plans, Montreal had stockpiled enough assets to land one of their most highly-touted prospects, Alexander Zharovsky.
According to Martin Lapointe, the Canadiens expected Zharovsky to be picked in the first round, which is why they did not hesitate to use a pair of second-round picks to secure a trade and nab him with the 34th overall pick. This decision would have been a little more difficult to make if the Habs weren’t sitting on a mountain of assets acquired in previous deals.
Nice work Montreal to get Zharovsky.
Kent Hughes doing nice things!
One of the best model bets still left. pic.twitter.com/XyhMAI3lrE
— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) June 28, 2025
For the record, Montreal had Zharovsky listed as a player they would target with the 16th overall pick, making the extra second-round pick they paid to move up the draft a very reasonable price for an asset-rich franchise.
«On a repêché Zharovsky en deuxième ronde, mais c’était notre choix de première ronde, finalement», explique Martin Lapointe à @Antho_Martineau: pic.twitter.com/eJCnqhCvMY
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 28, 2025
The team also opted to spend more assets to move up shortly thereafter, picking 6’5″ forward Hayden Paupanekis with the 69th overall pick.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
It’s a significant departure from the philosophy of the previous regime, which focused on winning trades in a vacuum rather than putting together a grand design. By the end of his tenure, Marc Bergevin was almost paralyzed by the possibility he would lose asset value in a deal, but that strategy ignored that avoiding risk at all costs is one of the riskiest avenues possible, as it ensures status quo rather than growth.
With Hughes at the helm, not only are the Canadiens being honest about their pressing needs, they’re actively looking for ways to address them in the most efficient way possible.
Not all the trades will work out, and there’s no guarantee the prospects they moved up to draft will become stars, but the active and aggressive approach is a nice change of pace, especially when we consider Canadian teams traditionally err on the side of caution.
The modern sports landscape requires bold moves, backed up with a healthy dose of due diligence, the exact modus operandi Jeff Gorton has put into place during his very encouraging tenure as the vice president of the Montreal Canadiens.