With the 2023-2024 regular season unraveling, fans of lower-seeded teams are starting to look forward to the next NHL Draft.
This is especially the case for the Montreal Canadiens. It's clear that Belle Province will miss the playoffs for the third straight season.
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Before Tuesday night's showdown at Pitman Arena, the Habs had a 29-37-5 record and were 27th overall in the NHL standings.
If the lottery for the first overall pick in the 2024 draft were made today, CH would have an 8.5% chance of getting that valuable pick ranking.
It's the San Jose Sharks (16-46-8) who will have the most balls on the abacus at 25.5%. The Chicago Blackhawks (20-46-5) are second in this regard at 13.5%.
The Anaheim Ducks (11.5%) and Columbus Blue Jackets (9.5%) are the other two clubs that currently have more chances than the Canadian in this regard.
The majority of draft experts see forward MacLean Celebrini as the first skater to hear his name called at the next amateur auction. The 17-year-old Canadian is at Boston University in the NCAA. He has scored 31 goals and 28 assists for 59 points in 35 games so far in 2023-24. The youngster also collected eight points in five games at the recent World Junior Hockey Championship.
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