NHL reporter reveals shocking information about the Montreal Canadiens 2023 draft
NHL insider Marco Normandin revealed today that the Montreal Canadiens had no intentions of drafting one of the top players in the 2023 draft.
Perhaps it would come as no surprise to many fans who that player is.
After all, there is one player in the 2023 draft class that has been considered to be more controversial than any other.
That would be Flyers rookie, Matvei Michkov. The Flyers ended up selecting him 7th overall in the draft.
This was not a complete surprise as there had been rumors that Matvei Michkov could fall on draft day, despite being ranked so highly.
Several teams reportedly were skeptical of his character and play style.
It appears that the Canadiens were one of those teams as according to Mathias Brunet of La Presse, the team decided not to even consider drafting him.
He says that if Reinbacher had not been available, they would have preferred Ryan Leonard or Dalibor Dvorsky.
"I can tell you that, rightly or wrongly, the Canadiens' management had made the decision not to draft Matvei Michkov. Even if David Reinbacher had not been available, they would have preferred Ryan Leonard or Dalibor Dvorsky."
Of course, Leonard would end up going to the Washington Capitals while Dvorsky would get drafted by the St. Louis Blues.
Leonard has 12 goals and 19 points this season for Boston College and will serve as captain for Team USA at the World Junior Championship. Not a bad pick.
Dvorsky on the other hand, has been playing in the AHL and has 11 goals and 20 points through 25 games, also impressive numbers for a 19-year-old.
That being said Michkov currently leads all NHL rookies with 27 points through 31 games, including 11 goals. As such, he is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy.
There are a couple of teams around the league that might be regretting passing on him already.
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