The Montreal Canadiens took the air out of the NHL draft by choosing a player who had pulled himself out of draft consideration after an earlier offense came to light.
Defenseman Logan Mailloux was fined in Sweden last year for sharing, without consent, an explicit photo of a woman performing a sex act.
He went on Twitter earlier this week to ask teams not to draft him, saying he had not "demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege" of being selected.
Montreal's Marc Bergevin, a finalist for the General Manager of the Year award, still took Mailloux with the second-to-last pick of the first round (31st overall). There was nothing preventing a team from taking him.
"The player remained eligible for selection," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY Sports by email. "Montreal was free to do what it did."
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The Canadiens later released a statement about their decision.
"By drafting prospect Logan Mailloux with the 31st overall pick, the Montreal Canadiens organization not only selected a promising hockey player, but also a young man who recently admitted to making a serious mistake. The Canadiens are aware of the situation and by no means minimize the severity of Logan's actions. Logan understands the impact of his actions. His recent public statement is a genuine acknowledgement of his poor behavior and the first step on his personal journey."
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