After a difficult start to the season and a current six games losing streak, the Montreal Canadiens are already struggling in the overall NHL standings.

Currently last in the Atlantic Division and tied for last in the NHL, the dream of a playoff spot seems to be slipping away for Martin St-Louis’ squad.

The Canadiens must slowly start thinking about the draft lottery.

James Hagens, the current favorite to be chosen first in the upcoming draft, is generating particular interest.

Analyst Simon “Snake” Boisvert assesses the young center as superior to the New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier and sees him as capable of surpassing Nick Suzuki as the top center.

James Hagens, a Future NHL First-Line Center

An acquisition of this caliber could provide a solid foundation for the team and help address some issues on offense.

For Kent Hughes, targeting Hagens in the draft could represent an important step in the team’s rebuild.

Hagens is widely seen as a star player, which has fans dreaming and opens the door to a new strategy to solidify the team for the long term.

In any case, he’s a name that Montreal Canadiens fans would probably do well to start keeping a close eye on, as he currently plays with Boston College, where he has already accumulated an impressive 11 points in seven games.

For a young player who is 18 years old, that’s truly impressive.

In fact, the entire projected top 5 of the 2025 draft seems very promising, so obtaining another high pick could potentially be beneficial.