Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes was clearly not worried about how any draft rankings or mock drafts predicted the way things would play out. Seldom do things play out at the NHL Draft the way they are predicted before hand.
That trend continued this year when players like Ryan Leonard and Matvei Michkov were touted as near-locks to be the Canadiens’ selection at fifth overall. Kent Hughes had his focus elsewhere and took to the stage before selecting Austrian Defenseman David Reinbacher.
Fans were divided, but like any other draft, this isn’t a new phenomenon.