Quoting: papishark
I really hope you draft askarov just because it would be funny
With Cayden Primeau in their system and Price going to be a member of the Canadiens until the heat death of the universe, this is highly unlikely.
Suzuki taking a step forward, as well as Kotkaniemi, Poehling, and Hillis taking their time to develop is probably going to reduce Montreal's priority in taking a center that won't at least be a home-run #1C in the NHL. I think there's a chance Lundell could be such a player, but Kotkaniemi and Suzuki can provide a strong one-two punch for Montreal provided that management is patient with them and insulates them properly. If Montreal continues to slide and they're presented with a top pick next season, I think they'll find their franchise pivot at the 2021 draft instead.
Montreal is a touch weak on the right side of their blueline due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Juulsen, but this draft is not very strong for high-end defencemen. Drysdale is also very, very likely to be a top-5 pick and will be off the board by the time Montreal gets to the podium. Quinn's a bit of a reach, and I believe Mercer to be the better player (personally, there was a bit of zooming from Rossi). Regardless of who the better player is, RW is not an area of dire need for the Canadiens. Caufield, Ylonen, and potentially Suzuki (if a #1C is picked next year) have that position pretty well covered. The exception to this is Holtz, but like Drysdale, I'm expecting him to be gone within the top 5.
My opinion is that Montreal really wants something dynamic for their left wing at this draft: Pitlick, Fonstad, and Harvey-Pinard don't offer a lot in terms of immediate top-six potential, and who knows how much longer Domi and Drouin will continue to be employed by the Canadiens. To me, the Habs pick is going to come down to Raymond, Rossi, and Perfetti, in that order. I don't think any of the three men should expect to be in the NHL next season, and would be very curious as to whether or not Rossi would be eligible for the AHL having already played one pro year in Switzerland.
Given what Montreal has in their system and that they currently have the ability to add a top-10 pick to the mix, Montreal's going to be in a pretty good spot in a few years. Exciting times.