It could be anywhere from 1-15.

not that valuable, especially for a stud like Keller

Until the draft lottery balls have fallen, the pick is as valuable as 14 other 1st round picks in the lottery

Keller for Hughes? Keller for Kakko? Are they fair?

The pick is less valuable if they get Keller.

you dont know if your pick will yield a top 5 pick. And no Keller for kakko is not fair. Arizona is a known young commodity in the NHL, Kakko is an unknown in how good of an NHL player he will be

lol Habs fans

And you propose the tiny Habs forward core gets even smaller?

I think Colorado isn't looking to move that Ott 1st rounder for just about anything at this point. I think the same can be said about some teams that "know" they will not be good. Obviously things can happen but they only find out about that way later in the season.

I think the uncertainty with MTL is that if Price does what Price does, this team can scratch and claw at a playoff spot. That's why no one wants to give MTL those low odds yet. They're a bad team that with some luck from one guy are almost a good team.

you can be the worst team in the league, and still pick 4th. Look at Vancouver the past few seasons, they were bottom team for a few seasons put get pushed back multiple times, missing out on the top picks. Until the lottery balls are final, and the league standings are final, you have no idea how valuable "one of the bad teams" picks are going to be.

Especially at the cost of moving a 20 year old Top end young talent. Thats just asking for trouble for an organization long term taking those sort of unnecessary risks

I agree. I am a Habs fan but come on guys. Lets just tank this thing and get a top 3 and move along.

Yeah Arizona will keep themselves in a perpetual state of rebuilding to appease Montreal

No team should be concerned about being "Smaller" in today's game.
Speed, Skill, and Hockey IQ is what excells now. the lumbering monsters that punish people are falling by the way side.

PS I don't trade the pick for Keller.

Oh I agree about the last statement 100%. Wasn't defending that at all. More that teams that are expected to be bad, generally end up being bad. VGK excluded of course. Teams that are intentionally trying to be bad, also do their best to ensure it.

Yeah i wouldn't trade a sure thing Keller for a maybe low 1st but that 1st that Colorado has does not have the same value right now as a Dal 1st or a Cgy 1st.......

I agree, right now the perceived value on the Sens 1st that the Avs own would be higher that most projected non playoff teams own 1st rounders. But its risk on top of risk to trade for those picks right now...risk that that team will be bad, risk that team wont get screwed over my dropping in the lottery.

If you already own one of them, its like found money. To trade for one of them right now. Thats just career suicide for a GM. Imagine Montreal trading Hughes away for Keller or Coyotes trading Keller away for the 7th or 8th overall....GMs would be fired instantly

Oh yeah agreed, like I said I wouldn't trade a non protected lottery pick unless I was almost 100% certain it was not going to be a lottery pick (Like at the TDL and I was 10 points ahead of 8th type thing). But that wasn't the point I was trying to make. It was simply that if we're gauging whose 1st rounder is worth more, which I feel OP is trying to get at (The potential for a 1-7th pick vs a player who was picked 7th whose already established) But we all know that risk is simply not worth it.

Draft picks are slightly over valued by people here Vs players producing right now in the NHL. It has more merit vs pending UFA's but not so much vs young RFA's or ELC players who are established.

All I'm asking is how valuable the pick is I didn't actually think it was a 100% fair trade.

Its not that valuable that would land an young star in the making

Yeah I agree. Some firsts are Crosby, some are Nail Yakupov. If you got a sure bet star why risk it on a maybe?

And being smaller matters how?

Don't get me wrong - I'm a proponent of skill players and I like seeing smaller guys get their chance to be in the NHL. However, if you're going to base your forward core on several small forwards then they better be the best forechecking/stickchecking forwards in the league to help regain possession and generate offense. MTL could not score last year - they were third last in goals for. They traded away Galchenyuk for Domi, who scores significantly less. This isn't all due to physicality, but after the trade deadline and into the playoffs physicality does play a role in establishing and regaining possession. Getting Hughes isn't that likely - statistically, but the possibility of getting him over someone like Keller would be worth the risk in my opinion, as it could land the team a number one center that they desperately need.

After the season they just had, there's no reason to trade the pick right now, so it doesn't really matter. It depends on a bunch of things. Can Price play well enough and can the team come back and make the playoffs? If not, what will happen in the lottery? I think they'll be in the bottom 10 teams, so it should probably be a lottery pick. Right now their 1st seems pretty valuable after the season they just had, but things could change.

How valuable is it then? Tell me a player who could be traded straight up for that pick. (And I do understand that the Canadiens are in no position to trade the pick)

Not one under 22 that is established in this league as a regular NHL player. No one from an active roster that fits the molds of Kellers, Provorovs, Wereskis, Josts, Boesers, etc etc with that pick. Its not that valuable bc there isnt any inherit value attached to it in the lottery yet.

Honestly man its not worth much more compared to the other 30 1st round picks in play. Its just a pick