Entire Stanley Cup Final, Oilers vs. Panthers in under 25 minutes

Watch as we re-live many moments from each game, in one of the most epic Stanley Cup Final’s in the history of the NHL, as the Edmonton Oilers battled the Florida Panthers in 7 entertaining tilts.

MONTREAL — It’s the beginning of a week that could be transformational for the Montreal Canadiens, and not just because they have two first-round picks Friday and 10 other picks at their disposal for Rounds 2-7 Saturday to make their team better.

They’d love to come away from the draft having done more than just replenished their pipeline, and there’s a good chance they’ll be able to do exactly that.

The fifth-overall pick gives the Canadiens an opportunity to secure a future core piece. And every pick that follows has the potential to help their long-term plan.

But it’s no secret the Canadiens will be exploring trades that help improve the here and now to push their rebuild into its next phase.

The market is heating up and it’s safe to assume general manager Kent Hughes has at least a few irons stoking its fire. He’s got the aforementioned picks to play with, a loaded left side of his NHL defence to move from, and there may be a prospect or two he’d be willing to part with to help net the Canadiens the type of player they’re after.

A bona fide top-six forward is the target. We’ll see if Hughes hits it before week’s end.

If not, trades will continue to transpire through the off-season and free agency is around the corner.

DRAFT PICKS

POTENTIAL ROUND 1 OPTIONS

I don’t want to say they’re limitless, but part of what makes what the Canadiens might do in the first round so unpredictable is how much flexibility they have to make this go down in different ways. It makes them a total wild card.

On the day of the draft lottery, Hughes said it was probable the Canadiens would be sticking at five and, all things being equal, be choosing a forward. I’d suggest both of those things are still more likely than unlikely to occur.

Sure, if an opportunity to move up a spot presents itself and guarantees the Canadiens the forward they covet most, perhaps they’ll do it. They’d have to see enough separation between that player and the next one on their list to consider paying the steep price, but it’s possible.

I just think it’s more likely they’ll roll the dice on one of two forwards they’d want most being available at fifth.

I believe (but can’t say with 100 per cent certainty) they’d be equally happy to land either Ivan Demidov or Cayden Lindstrom. I like their chances of getting one or the other with their pick.

But if neither are available when they step to the podium, that’s where things will get interesting.

If the Canadiens don’t see another forward on their list as equal to one of the premier defencemen who may be available, then I don’t think they’ll hesitate to take a defenceman.

They could do worse than adding one of Zeev Buium, Artyom Levshunov, Anton Silayev, Sam Dickinson or Zayne Parekh to their core.

It’s also entirely possible that Hughes and the Canadiens not only see another forward as equal or better to those players but also see one as on par with Demidov or Lindstrom. If they do, then perhaps they’ll pick that player at five.

But if the Canadiens think they’ll still be able to get that player lower down the order, they could explore collecting another premium asset to move down.

Acquiring one would only feed their potential to make other big things happen over the weekend.

Whether they budge from