By JD Lagrange – With the 2023 NHL Draft less than a month away, I have decided, once again, to compile some prospects’ rankings from around the internet, as I did a year ago. Look at it as your “one-stop shopping” to see what “experts” on the internet are thinking ahead of this year’s Draft. As we know, the Canadiens are set to speak at number five and there won’t be any shortage of talent to pick from… although there doesn’t appear to be a consensus.
Last year, of the 15 we compiled, only Corey Pronman from The Athletic, my colleague Bob Trask and myself had Juraj Slafkovsky going number one overall. All others had Shane Wright… wrong.
Without further ado, here are the ranking for several different people following prospects:
| #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
| Bob McKenzie | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Will Smith | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Dalibor Dvorsky | Ryan Leonard | Zach Benson | Gabe Perreault | David Reinbacher |
| Craig Button | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Eduard Sale | Will Smith | Colby Barlow | Zach Benson | Andrew Cristall | Axel Sandin Pellikka |
| Daily Faceoff | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Will Smith | Ryan Leonard | Zach Benson | David Reinbacher | Oliver Moore | Axel Sandin Pellikka |
| Sportsnet | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Will Smith | Zach Benson | Colby Barlow | Ryan Leonard | David Reinbacher | Samuel Honzek |
| Corey Pronman | Connor Bedard | Matvei Michkov | Adam Fantilli | Leo Carlsson | Nate Danielson | Will Smith | David Reinbacher | Daniel But | Colby Barlow | Samuel Honzek |
| Consolidated Ranking | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Zach Benson | Will Smith | Andrew Cristall | Oliver Moore | Ryan Leonard | Eduard Sale |
| FC Hockey | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Zach Benson | Will Smith | Brayden Yager | Eduard Sale | Andrew Cristall | Calum Ritchie |
| McKeen’s Hockey | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Will Smith | Andrew Cristall | Zach Benson | Nate Danielson | Eduard Sale | Dalibor Dvorsky |
| Elite Prospects | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Zach Benson | Oliver Moore | Ryan Leonard | Andrew Cristall | Will Smith | Dmitri Simashev |
| Recruit Scouting | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Zach Benson | Will Smith | Leo Carlsson | Brayden Yager | Dalibor Dvorsky | Eduard Sale | Andrew Cristall |
| Dobber Prospects | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Zach Benson | Oliver Moore | Will Smith | Andrew Cristall | Dmitri Simashev | Axel Sandin Pellikka |
| The Hockey News | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Leo Carlsson | Matvei Michkov | Will Smith | Andrew Cristall | Eduard Sale | Colby Barlow | Zach Benson | Brayden Yager |
| JD Lagrange (CTL) | Connor Bedard | Adam Fantilli | Matvei Michkov | Leo Carlsson | Will Smith | Zach Benson | Andrew Cristall | Eduard Sale | Ryan Leonard | Oliver Moore |
Don’t be surprised if Michkov drops drastically from these rankings and in spite of the nonsense displayed by some fans on social media, there is absolutely no guarantee that the Canadiens would select him if he slides to them at number five. As we have recently covered in details, there are just too many red flags and Montreal must thread very carefully with this one.
