Early in the evening, hopes of Macklin Celebrini becoming a member of the Habs officially evaporated, as logic prevailed: the San Jose Sharks were awarded the first pick of the auction.

In fact, none of the 16 lottery picks moved, a first since 2010.

In doing so, the Habs have retained their selection ranking, and will speak at No. 5. Remember that the Habs also have the Jets’ pick, which will be between 24th and 27th… but many, including Arpon Basu, would be surprised to see the Habs keep this pick rather than trade for it.

So let’s focus on the fifth pick, because even if Macklin Celebrini isn’t available, there are some good prospects out there. Here are five targets that could interest the Habs, who seem to prefer to take a forward rather than a defenseman:

Ivan Demidov

Demidov is probably the least realistic of the five targets because he’s likely to be selected before the fifth spot. That said, we know that after Celebrini, the teams all order the top-10 differently, so we can afford to dream.

Especially since last year, a talented Russian forward was available in the fifth spot… and this time, the Habs seem to want to select him.