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Draft winners and losers

Excerpt from SI.com (Allan Muir):

Montreal Canadiens

Although they were relatively quiet in the drafting process, selecting just five players, Montreal spent the weekend making splashy moves designed to keep them among the top teams in the East.

The Canadiens avoided the standard incubation period associated with the 25th overall pick by dishing the choice to the Flames in exchange for Alex Tanguay. The fully-developed 29-year-old forward could be an immediate point-per-game addition to a Montreal team that captured the Eastern Conference last season, but struggled to generate offensive options in the playoffs. He may end up playing on a line with another former All-Star: Mats Sundin. The Habs were given exclusive negotiating rights to the veteran Maple Leafs center, who becomes a free agent on July 1, in exchange for a conditional pick that is believed to be a 2009 second-rounder.

Danny Kristo (56th overall) was a swing-for-the-fences pick, a potential second-line goal scorer with some zip in his pins. The second-leading goal-scorer for the U.S. National Team Development Program last season, Kristo’s several years away from the NHL, but the Habs’ long wait can be ameliorated by the instant impact of Tanguay and Sundin.

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