Major: Kent Hughes hit a home run by acquiring the highly solid defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov through the draft

The draft is not an exact science, but scouts do a colossal job to uncover hidden talents.

The decision of the Canadiens to bypass Matvei Michkov and select David Reinbacher stirred a lot of discussions. Kent Hughes and his team mentioned that it's always a risk to draft players from leagues like the KHL when they have multi-season contracts, as there's no guarantee they will come to the NHL.

Wasting a 5th overall pick on a player who might never come would be a significant loss. The Canadiens weren't willing to take that risk, evidently.

However, when it comes to a 4th-round pick, 110th overall, it's a different story. In 2023, defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov was selected by the Canadiens at this spot, and it's a home run.


We're talking about a 20-year-old who, according to several experts, would have been a late first-round or early second-round pick if he had played in the NCAA. That's noteworthy!

He has accumulated 22 points in 50 KHL games and plays significant minutes. He even participated in the All-Star Game. Moreover, his presence in North America has just been confirmed.


This is music to my ears, especially since Konyushkov is a right-handed defenseman. He could indeed be a hidden gem for the Canadiens in the years to come.