Recently, Renaud Lavoie shared noteworthy information about Auston Matthews, and the Montreal Canadiens.
Lavoie goes on to describe the beginning of Matthews' career in 2016, when the Toronto Maple Leafs finished at the bottom of the NHL standings and subsequently won the draft lottery, leading them to select Matthews as the first overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Habs Almost Won the Matthews Sweepstakes
According to recent information disclosed by Renaud Lavoie, a journalist from TVA Sports, the Montreal Canadiens came very close to obtaining the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. During an appearance on BPM Sports, Lavoie shared that an employee from the Toronto Maple Leafs had revealed to him that the Canadiens had finished in second place during the draft lottery for the first overall pick.
Ultimately, the Canadiens ended up selecting Mikhail Sergachev as the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft, and later traded him along with a second-round pick for Jonathan Drouin and a sixth-round pick. It's fun to think about what the Canadiens' team would look like if they had Auston Matthews (and a bonus second-rounder!) instead of Drouin!