- The Athlétique continue de penser, que Montréal...
- Doit choisir Hendrix Lapierre, avec leur 16e choix...
16. Montreal: Hendrix Lapierre, C, Chicoutimi-QMJHL
Arpon Basu: The Canadiens are taking a bit of a home run swing here, banking on Lapierre’s injury-plagued season and a dip in his game early in his draft year not being indicative of how he will develop into a pro. The hope would be that his 11 points in five games with Canada’s U18 team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup was actually closer to the kind of player Lapierre can be. He was diagnosed with three concussions in 10 months, and when healthy he scored only two goals in 19 games. There might be no prospect in this draft who was hurt more by the pandemic, because Lapierre was on the verge of returning to play ahead of the QMJHL playoffs when the season was canceled. The Canadiens, with a well-stocked cupboard of strong prospects at every position, can afford to take a risk on a Quebec kid with very high upside and great hockey IQ, the quality Montreal values most in a player. If Lapierre hits, the Canadiens could wind up with a homegrown star forward.
- On continue de penser que c'est risqué en sale...