Not making the playoffs has the Montreal Canadiens in the running for a top draft pick for the second season in a row. It’s a bittersweet realization, but the Habs truly benefitted from what happened last year and it was a large part of their success for the 2018-19 campaign.
The prize then was generational defenceman Rasmus Dahlin and the Habs finishing fourth gave them the fourth-best odds at winning the lottery. Montreal didn’t win the chance at the first-overall pick, but they did win the third one jumping up from fourth to third.