Which year would you want incredible luck on your side

Team: 2023-24 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 16, 2024

Published: Feb. 16, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

With the draft lottery rule now being that Montreal can only win the lottery one more time in the next four years, and given that the Habs are in a lottery position this year and possibly next, I looked at the numbers for Celebrini vs Hagens (next year's presumptive #1). I am well aware that Montreal's odds of winning the lottery iwill not be nearly as good this year or next when compared to Chicago's. San Jose's or Anaheim's odds.... but there is still a chance.

If I recall correctly from my reading, there seemed to be more positivity about next year's draft and Hagens, but Celebrini is only 5 months older than Hagens. Celebrini is quite a bit bigger (6 feet and 190 pounds vs 5 foot 9 inches and 168 pounds).

Celebrini is putting up 1.6 points per game in college as one of the youngest players in the country. Hagens is putting up 1.8 points per game on the USNDT, which seems to be a situation where it is a bit easier to score in.

There are many Montreal fans who do not want another down year like this one, so for them the choice may be to take Celebrini this year and push for the playoffs sooner rather than later. I think that the management team will be a little more patient than the fans, but not by much.

So in a hypothetical situation the question is, if Montreal could choose between winning the lottery this year or next (I know it is not their "choice", but this is just a hypothetical) who should Montreal want to have? Celebrini this year (which means getting him 1 year earlier and getting him into the fold 1 year earlier) or Hagens next year (who seems to have more hype around him, but would be a delayed addition to the rebuild by a year)?????

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