The Montreal Canadiens have had a few rough patches this season. When a team goes of two different losing streaks of eight games, they are usually in the running for the first overall pick. The Habs aren’t quite that far down the standings, but in the midst of their second eight game skid, they did add a first overall draft pick – except this one was from 2001.
Ilya Kovalchuk was on the scrap heap after agreeing to terminate his contract with the Los Angeles Kings in December. He was on the sidelines for a few weeks, hoping to get a contract with a contender.