"A Hab in the hand is worth two in the bush."

That has been the philosophy of Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens' management at the draft over the past two years. In contrast to other teams undergoing a rebuild, which focus on selecting as many high-potential prospects as possible, the Canadiens have opted to trade some of their top draft assets for young NHL players who have yet to fully develop.

Last season, they traded Alexander Romanov for the 13th overall pick, only to send it to Chicago in exchange for the promising center, Kirby Dach. This season, they demonstrated this approach further by utilizing the 31st and 37th overall picks to acquire Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche. Newhook, another highly drafted player who has yet to meet expectations, exemplifies the aforementi