With the NHL’s Draft Lottery quickly approaching, certain conditions in play must be considered by teams that are in the midst of a rebuild. While the NHL does reward failure with high draft picks, it has put a rule in place to avoid giving the first overall pick to the same club within a specific time frame.

As mentioned, Montreal has the fifth-best odds (8.5%) of winning the opening lottery, which would award the Canadiens the first-overall pick in 2024. If another team wins the lottery, the Habs can still get the second-overall pick in the second draw... unless Philly has already locked it up.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes when asked about the upcoming NHL draft and what their priorities are.

The Canadiens have drafted hundreds of players since the implementation of the draft, and a select few have stood tall above the rest.

If the Montreal Canadiens are indeed aiming to be in the playoff mix for next season, they have quite the summer ahead of them. It may have been another 28th-place finish for the Canadiens this season,

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the conditions have not been met for the later pick, allowing Winnipeg to retain it.