There’s a two-headed monster piloting the Canadians’ great ship with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. The duplication phenomenon carries over to Hope, where there are two gurus in Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov.
• Also read: Rounds 2 to 7: The CH adds nine players, including a Quebecer
• Also read: First choice of hope run: Stupor at Bell Center
• Also read: The son of Kent Hughes who was drafted by Kings
Since the firings of Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmins, the rebuilding is evident not only on the ice but also in the upper echelons of the organization.
Lapointe, director of amateur scouting and director of player personnel, and Bobrov, co-director of amateur scouting, took stock of the two days of drafting in Montreal in a small room at the Bell Center.
“When you come out of a draft, you’re always happy,” Bobrov said. But we will hope that in five years we will be. »
“We’re happy, very happy,” added Lapointe. We have accomplished things that were not always easy. We see a lot of matches, recruiters work a lot. We made the best decisions for CH. We had several options and sometimes had to make quick decisions. »
Bobrov recycled a good old cliché from Timmins, who said he was happy with his design but recalled he would have a better idea of this vintage going forward.
Play right
In the first round, the Habs drew twice in Slovakia’s courtyard with Juraj Slafkovsky first in class and Filip Mesar in 26th. For that second day, Lapointe and Bobrov added nine more hopefuls.
With two more picks in the second round, the Canadian bet on a center in Owen Beck and a small mobile defender in Lane Hutson. According to several recruiters, Beck and Hutson had the potential to know their fate in the first round. But they will have slipped to the delight of the Montreal hockey men.
Bobrov tried to find a common ingredient for the team’s 11 picks. It was very difficult to quantify that aspect and play it right.
“It was my first draft with the Canadian, but I have enough experience in this business,” said the Russian, who also speaks English and French. We looked for players who play right. You win the Stanley Cup by playing right. »
“We wanted to find players who recognize what it means to play properly. You’re always looking for the skate, the game sense and the talent. But let’s not forget that Montreal is a different market. You have to be resilient, very resilient. It was a barometer. You remain even more attentive. You need strong young people to survive in Montreal. And you have to play right to win in the NHL. »
A healthy debate
Hughes deliberately didn’t hide his play for his first pick with Slafkovsky.
“We were still deliberating on Wednesday morning,” said Bobrov. It wasn’t an easy decision. There were good players for the summit. The debate continued. Ultimately, what Juraj could do made the difference. At his age, that’s something special. Repechage isn’t about knowing who’s ready to play now or tomorrow, it’s about finding the best player in years to come. We believe that Juraj is that person. »