Numero Un: Wright to Canadiens leads off Button's Mock Draft

After a season of despair and a franchise-record 60 losses, the Montreal Canadiens recorded its biggest victory of the season Tuesday night, winning the NHL draft lottery and the right to pick  No. 1 in the 2022 NHL draft July 7.

Montreal gets the ultimate consolation prize for finishing last overall.

Montreal entered the lottery as the No. 1 seed with a 25.5 per-cent chance of picking No. 1.

Kingston Frontenacs’ centre Shane Wright has been the top-ranked prospect all season, but a new poll today by TSN draft guru Bob McKenzie revealed support for Slovak winger Juraj Slafkovsky and American centre Logan Cooley at No. 1.

Wright, 18, received six of nine first-place votes cast by NHL scouts. Slafkovsky was first on two ballots and Cooley on one.

Wright, a native of Burlington, Ont., earned 94 points on 32 goals and 62 assists in 63 games this OHL season. Hockey Canada granted him exceptional status in 2019 to play major junior hockey at age 15.

There is a certain symmetry to Montreal getting the No. 1 pick. It was exactly 43 years ago, on May 10, 1979, that No. 10 Guy Lafleur scored the most celebrated goal of his career in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup semifinals versus Boston.

The 1971 first-overall pick was laid to rest one week ago.

This will be fourth time in the history of the modern draft that Montreal picks first overall. The first three selections were Rejean Houle in 1969, Lafleur and Doug Wickenheiser in 1980.

Rounding out the top five in the 2022 draft order are No. 2 New Jersey, No. 3 Arizona, No. 4 Seattle, and No. 5 Philadelphia.

Ottawa has the No. 7 pick, Winnipeg No. 14, and Vancouver No. 15.

Vegas transferred its first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Buffalo Sabres (16th overall) as part of the Jack Eichel trade.

Chicago transferred its first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets (6th overall) as part of the Seth Jones trade.