Photo credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
The Montreal Canadiens pulled off a masterstroke at the 2019 NHL Draft, and a new exercise has just confirmed it.
Cole Caufield, selected 15th overall seven years ago, climbs to the No. 3 spot in a re-draft of that class.Only Jack Hughes, who remains first overall, and defenseman Moritz Seider, who jumps to second overall, rank ahead of him.
That is a rise of 12 positions for the Canadiens’ No. 13, who just completed a 51-goal, 88-point season in 81 games.
And that is not all for Montreal Canadiens fans.
Defenseman Bowen Byram, originally drafted fourth overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2019, falls to 15th overall in this new exercise.
And it is the Montreal Canadiens who would land him at that position.
Cole Caufield confirms that the Montreal Canadiens pulled off a steal
With his 12 game-winning goals this season, the 25-year-old winger established himself as one of the NHL’s most reliable scorers.
Among the other surprises of this “re-draft,” goaltender Dustin Wolf makes a spectacular jump of 208 spots to reach sixth overall, while Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe climbs 34 positions.Spencer Knight, originally drafted 13th overall, ends up with the Edmonton Oilers in this exercise.
People will remember that then-general manager Marc Bergevin trusted his scouting staff by betting on a 5-foot-7 player at a time when very few teams were willing to take that risk in the first round.
Time proved him right, and Caufield continues to prove it over and over again.
Here are the top 16 selections from the 2019 class according to this exercise:
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils (original rank: 1st)
Moritz Seider, New York Rangers (original rank: 6th)
Cole Caufield, Chicago Blackhawks (original rank: 15th)
Matthew Boldy, Colorado Avalanche (original rank: 12th)
Jackson LaCombe, Los Angeles Kings (original rank: 39th)
Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames (original rank: 214th)
Spencer Knight, Edmonton Oilers (original rank: 13th)
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks (original rank: 9th)
Dylan Cozens, Philadelphia Flyers (original rank: 7th)
Bowen Byram, Montreal Canadiens (original rank: 4th)
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2019 NHL re-draft places two players ahead of Caufield and sends defenseman to Canadiens
Do you think Cole Caufield should have been ranked even higher than third overall in this re-draft?