A decade of drafting - The Studs

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Over the past decade and a half, the Montreal Canadiens, scouting director Trevor Timmins and player development director Martin Lapointe have drafted and a good percentage of players who've developed into NHLers. There have been several prospects that have carried their junior success to the NHL level. Nevertheless, there have also been a number of high rated prospects in junior that just didn’t live up to their expected potentials. Players such as Andrei Kostitsyn, who was drafted 10th overall in a high-skilled 2003 entry draft which included Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Jeff Carter, is one of those players who didn't pan out in the league as a premier player.

Here is a list of the top 10 studs drafted by the Montreal Canadiens over the past decade.

Top 10 Studs

1. Carey Price – G (drafted 5th overall in 05’) 

How could Price not take number 1 on this list? He is the best goaltender in the world right now and the backbone of the Montreal Canadiens. Carey has been a high rated prospect since his junior days with Tri-City Americans of the WHL, thus getting drafted 5th overall. He was destined to be Montreal’s elite number one goalie since the day he was drafted, and that he has delivered. He has a Calder Cup, a World Junior Championship, an Olympic gold medal, a Vezina, a Hart, a William Jennings and a Lester B. Pearson trophy credited to his name so far, and he has only begun. A continuation of his spectacular play and a Stanley Cup Championship will definitely get his number 31 retired and maybe even an induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

2. P.K Subban – D (drafted 43rd overall in 07’)

Along with Price and Pacioretty, P.K Subban is part of the Habs current core. He is a fan favorite and signed a lengthy 9 year, 80 million dollar contract in the summer of 2014. Although his first years with the club were tough, P.K Subban has matured a lot since and was awarded with an ‘A’ stitched to his sweater after his contract. He plays heavy minutes on the blue-line alongside veteran Andrei Markov and can put up 50 plus points a season with his wicket slap-shot and nifty mitts. He has an Olympic gold medal and a Norris trophy under his belt so far.

3. Max Pacioretty – LW (drafted 22nd in 07’)

At number 3 we have the franchise’s 17th captain Max Pacioretty. This 1st round pick, which resulted in Pacioretty, came over in the deal that sent Craig Rivet to San Jose in return for Josh Gorges. You can say that the Canadiens had the better end of that deal, by a long shot. Maximillian had a slow start to his career, but after his terrifying head injury on a hit at center ice by Boston Bruins captain Zedeno Chara, he returned as a superstar. Reigning from New Jersey, “Patches” is a natural goal scorer with tons of speed He has hit the 30 goal plateau twice so far and is just 27 years of age. His highest goal total came in the season of 2013-14 season, where he put the puck in back of the net 39 times.

 4. Ryan McDonagh – D (drafted 12th in 07')

Yes, New York Rangers captain and Olympian, Ryan McDonagh was once property of the Montreal Canadiens. He was taken 12th overall in the 2007 enrty draft behind Pacioretty and Subban. Unfortunately, McDonagh didn’t get a chance to play a game in a Habs uniform as he was dealt to the Rangers along with Christopher Higgins and Pavel Valetenko in exchange for none other than Scott Gomez… How much scarier would the Habs blue line be if McDonagh was on it!?

5. Tomas Plekanec – C (drafted 71st in 01’)

Plekanec’s “fashionable” turtle neck is something Habs fan will always remember about him. “Pleky” has been a Hab his entire 11 year career in the NHL and is destined to remain for another 2 after his recent 12 million dollar deal. He isn’t a vocal leader but his actions on and off the ice show example. He is a very useful two-way center and one of the best in the game on the penalty kill. He has reached the 60+ point mark three times in his career.

6. Mark Streit – D (drafted 262nd in 04')

The first Swiss born player drafted by Montreal, Mark Streit was originally drafted as a forward in the 9th round. He usually played forward in the bottom 9 for the Habs and played defense only occasionally. He was then traded to the Islanders, where he became an offensive threat on the blue line. He now plays defense for the Philadelphia Flyers.

7. Brendan Gallagher – RW (drafted 147th in 10’)

Drafted late in the 2010 draft, Gallagher was a gem in the rough. The young, 5”9, 180 pound pest loves to crash the net and annoy his opponents. He plays on the top line alongside Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec, and has obtained 19 points 21 games so far. One of the fan favorite's, Brendan is currently on pace to pass his career high of 47 points. He signed a six-year, 22.5 million dollar extension last November.

8. Jaroslav Halak – G (drafted 271st in 03')

Slovak netminder Jaroslav Halak replaced Carey Price as the Canadiens number one goalie in 2010. He led the Habs to the Conference Finals, where they loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in 5 games. That same summer, Halak was dealt to the St. Louis Blues for Lars Eller. He continued his dominance in St. Louis but was inconsistent after a few seasons and was dealt to Buffalo, then Washington and finally to the Islanders. He is coming off a stellar season but is struggling so far this season. 

9. Alexei Emelin – D (drafted 84th in 04’)

Emelin was drafted in 04’ but only made his first appearance with the Tricolore in 2009 as he was developing in Russia. He is a hard hitting, steady defensive defenseman. Due to a knee injury that required surgery, number 74 missed most of the season. He is now healthy and in full form, terrorizing forwards with his bone crushing hits.

10. Mikhail Grabovski – C (drafted 150th in 04')

Grabovski's tenure with the Canadiens didn't last too long due to lack of work ethic, attitude problems and conflicts with the Kostitsyn bros. He tallied a total of 9 points in 27 games with the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge before he was dealt to the Maple Leafs in return for defenceman Greg Pateryn. Grabovski turned into a solid 2nd/3rd liner with the Leafs reaching a season high of 58 points and 29 goals. He played one year with the Capitals before signing a 4 year, 20 million dollar deal with the New York Islanders in the summer of 2014. He currently has 13 points in 28 games this season.

 

Ryan McDonagh (center) after being selected 12th overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft. (Image credit: Sean Mcindoe/Grantland)