C Will Bitten (2016, 70th, MTL; traded to MIN; traded to STL)

[Marc the Habs Fan]

Never would have predicted he would be available at 70. Great fit for the Habs with him being fully bilingual and he was a fan of the team.

Hopefully he sticks at C full time the next 2 years because we have a clear need for C prospects.

I saw that Flint recently traded the Finnish D the Red Wings took last year. Are they going total rebuild mode? Could it be another challenging season?

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Forgot I posted earlier in this thread (#46) in March where I thought he would be a steal if he made it 2nd rd. How about the 3rd rd?

 

[Nalens Oga]

Oh he happens to speak French and basically falls into Montreal's lap lol.

I think he might end up being one of the steals of the draft. 5'10 isn't that undersized especially if you're one of the faster draft eligible OHLers like he was and can play responsibly defensively and kill penalties. So I wonder why so many NHL teams passed up on him, did they see something we didn't or did they just not bother to scout Flint very much?

Either way, I think he can put up 80+ points next season and I hope for his sake, he gets traded to a better team. Lesser players have thrown tantrums to get what they want in the OHL.

 

[The Great Weal]

Either way, I think he can put up 80+ points next season and I hope for his sake, he gets traded to a better team. Lesser players have thrown tantrums to get what they want in the OHL.

Hopefully he gets traded to Windsor to play on the same team as Sergachev.

 

[McGees]

What a steal at #70. I think he makes the big league in a couple years.

 

[BigRangy]

I had him in my top 30. Great pick by the Habs.

 

[GTA]

What's his potential? Any player comparable?

I see him as a slightly bigger Paul Byron. Bottom six speedster.

 

[King In The North]

Cam Atkinson

 

[Frk It]

What's his potential? Any player comparable?

Offensively kind of like Cam Atkinson, but I think he is a more well rounded player than he is given credit for.

 

[Tatar Shots]

Never would have predicted he would be available at 70. Great fit for the Habs with him being fully bilingual and he was a fan of the team.

Hopefully he sticks at C full time the next 2 years because we have a clear need for C prospects.

I saw that Flint recently traded the Finnish D the Red Wings took last year. Are they going total rebuild mode? Could it be another challenging season?

Really great value pick for the Habs. The Wings forced Flint to trade Saarijärvi as they were very unhappy with the situation there last year.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

As has been rumoured for a while, he doesn't want to return to Flint and has asked for a trade.

 

[Mark Kandy]

As has been rumoured for a while, he doesn't want to return to Flint and has asked for a trade.

Nice, I hope he'll get traded to a team like London or Windsor where he'll be able to show how good is he. He was already impressive on a poor team, can't wait to see him on a good team!

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

He wants to be a 67 and only a 67 it seems, mostly because he wants to do his post-secondary studies in french. His brother being in 67 camp doesn't hurt either.

 

[irunthepeg]

He wants to be a 67 and only a 67 it seems, mostly because he wants to do his post-secondary studies in french. His brother being in 67 camp doesn't hurt either.

He gave the franchise two seasons, I'd say it's well within his right to request to go to that specific team. Especially because he has some valid reasons for wanting to be there.

 

[Bjindaho]

He gave the franchise two seasons, I'd say it's well within his right to request to go to that specific team. Especially because he has some valid reasons for wanting to be there.

He could easily take distance courses...

 

[wings5]

He could easily take distance courses...

Theres also Sudbury which he can study in French.

 

[MXD]

How much of a possibility Gatineau would be ?

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

How much of a possibility Gatineau would be ?

You mean as in to play for the Olympiques? It's not a possibility - he's from Ottawa, which is an OHL region...so he can only be traded to another OHL team (theoretically, it's possible to end up playing in a different league - it does happen - but only when the player isn't wanted by any team in their home league...which wouldn't be the case for Bitten).

 

[LastWordArmy]

How much of a possibility Gatineau would be ?

None. In order to switch leagues he'd have to clear OHL waivers.

 

[NobleSix]

Can't wait to see what he can do on a stable team surrounded by some good talent!

 

[Hammer Slammer]

Still can't believe he fell to the 3rd round; very talented kid. I'll be watching him more intently if he's traded out of that dumpster fire.

Also selfishly I'll be relieved because Flint's home announcer enunciates everything so strangely. The way he says Bitten's name made my eye twitch.

 

[93LEAFS]

This sounds like a ploy to me, unless he hasn't graduated high school (which he should of by now). Very few OHL guys who have been drafted start post-secondary education after being drafted relatively high. Seems more like an agent back strategy to get public-opinion on his side to force a trade to the team he wants. Not a surprise, it is not like Flint has any chance in the court of public opinion, but I don't think Bitten has much ground to stand on if Ottawa don't make a good offer. I doubt the Habs would be happy with him either spending another year in Flint or having to go down to OJHL.

 

[King In The North]

This sounds like a ploy to me, unless he hasn't graduated high school (which he should of by now). Very few OHL guys who have been drafted start post-secondary education after being drafted relatively high. Seems more like an agent back strategy to get public-opinion on his side to force a trade to the team he wants. Not a surprise, it is not like Flint has any chance in the court of public opinion, but I don't think Bitten has much ground to stand on if Ottawa don't make a good offer. I doubt the Habs would be happy with him either spending another year in Flint or having to go down to OJHL.

The OHL even offers scholarships to players going on to post-secondary. It's not that unheard of.

 

[tigervixxxen]

He's from Ottawa, that's reason enough. I never thought for a second he was going back to Flint so it's just a matter of where at this point.

 

[TheKingSlayer]

I would imagine any Canadian city that has an OHL team has a French or a few French schools. If he wants to play in Ottawa, then let the kid play!