The first round of the NHL Entry Draft is rolling along in Los Angeles. Despite coming into the day with two picks, the Montreal Canadiens did not make a pick in the first round of the NHL Draft. They traded both the 16th and 17th overall picks to the New York Islanders for defenseman Noah Dobson earlier in the day. But the NHL did not certify the trade until they were on the clock, so Montreal native and NBA Champion Lu Dort still got to participate.
C'est le champion de la NBA Luguentz Dort des @okcthunder qui a été invité à annoncer le choix des @CanadiensMTL…
Du moins, c'est ce qu'on croyait! pic.twitter.com/n0SPSilMej
— LNH (@LNH_FR) June 28, 2025
After Dort hit the trade button, Gary Bettman officially announced the trade that had broken hours earlier. But the Thunder star made the most out of his moment, winding up to smash the button and complete the deal. The Islanders took Viktor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson with the picks from the Dobson trade.
Just because Dort did not announce a Canadiens draft pick does not mean his jacket went unnoticed. His white jacket was full of old-school Canadiens logos and commemorated their 24 Stanley Cup championships. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman took to social media to make sure everyone saw it.
Article Continues BelowNBA champion Lu Dort was here to pick for the Canadiens. The Noah Dobson trade ended that, but he was wearing a 🔥 jacket pic.twitter.com/QezSMl3dHg
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 28, 2025
Dort was undrafted out of Arizona State and joined the Thunder before the 2019 season. Since then, he has become a defensive stalwart, being named to the All-Defense team this past season. He was key to their championship run this spring, as was fellow Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Canadiens hope that Dobson can become their defensive stalwart and lead them to deep playoff runs. While he has put up some solid offensive numbers in past years, his defense has left something to be desired. But if Martin St Louis can get the most out of him, this trade will pay off for Montreal.
The Canadiens have two picks in the second round, which starts the NHL Draft festivities on Saturday.