You may indeed get a shot at the top pick in the lottery, and Dahlin, (you could be picking 8th as well) but WHY would Tavares should he leave the Island consider Montreal, when he has already specified that he wants to play for an organization that's in position to win? AND as UFA he can only sign for 7 not 8 years!

Tack on $2M more for Tavares and give the NYI a 2018 second rounder at the draft for the negotiating rights (if they haven't signed him by then, he ain't signing).

I think it's great to dream about landing Dahlin, but the Habs have about a 7% chance of drafting #1 overall. Failing that, how do you make this plan work? How about #1 in 2019 AND Chucky to the team that delivers Dahlin?

No way any team would give you Dahlin for that return.

Way too much time is spent talking about this for how incredibly unlikely it is. But I agree Tavares doesn’t say no quite as fast if they win the lottery.

nobody trades the #1 pick this year. lottery or nothing.

What about Chucky AND the 2018 #1 pick, so likely a shift of 5-6 spots?

There must be a number. Then again, most of the current GMs remember 1993, when this happened at the draft:

1993-Jun-26 Draft pick rights for CHRIS PRONGER (#2 pick overall) traded from San Jose Sharks to Hartford Whalers for future considerations, round 1 pick in the 1993 draft (#6 overall -- Viktor Kozlov), round 2 pick in the 1993 draft (Vlastimil Kroupa) and round 3 pick in the 1993 draft (Ville Peltonen).

Then again, Alexander Daigle went #1 overall and Ottawa was never the same.

Tavares could get closer to McDavid money, Some top Execs in the league have already said don't rule out Tavares getting closer to $15 million per. And he can only be signed for 7 years unless it's a sign and trade.

He won't get $15M that is ridiculous. I've heard the same thing reported but this NHL executive is just talking bull. No doubt he can get Mcdavid money but nobody will fit Tavares in at that price.

Well if the habs got Dahlin.. D issue solved. Then they sign Tavares.. C issue solved. That's a contender. A tanking, injured habs team also beat an islanders team fighting to make the playoffs in a back to back series. Carey price should be better next year as well, as votes by the players they still think he is one of the top 5 goalies of all time. Weber will be healthy again as well, played 2 months dealing with an injury this season (and was still having a great year no less). There are some other possible destinations out there for Tavares, but Montreal is a definite candidate.

not comparable. the first 4-6 picks in this draft are all really valuable, but the #1 pick is such a frontrunner in terms of value that even if MTL wins the #2 pick I don't believe they have the pieces to trade up to #1.

You're almost surely right, though I would imagine it matters who gets #1. If it's a team that has a set D and needs a pair of scoring wingers (Svechnikov and Pacioretty?), who knows.....

I don't think teams draft for positional needs anymore. you're usually going for the best player available. you can still later deal from a position of strength. a teams needs can change drastically within one or two years and you're not passing up on a franchise blueliner for an immediate need. also Pacioretty is at an age he's best suited for contending teams - and none of the teams who might win the lottery are a scoring winger removed from contention.

that being said, there are enough good Dmen available in the draft. around MTLs draft position Boqvist (up to 4th) or Hughes (~7th) might be available.

Montreal would be idiots to draft a defenceman other than Dahlin at this point. They have nothing but D prospects in their system. Those 5 picks in the top 60 should all go to elite sniper talent, ideally one of whom could be the C of their dreams with the right development.