Looking Back at the Canadiens’ Draft: 2000-2009
Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Washington are all Stanley Cup favorites this year. What do these teams have in common? How did they build their successful teams? Through the draft, specifically through obtaining high draft picks for multiple years. Teams like New Jersey, San Jose, and Detroit, prove that a team can win consistently and still build a solid team from within. But the common thread within all these teams is that they have all drafted well.
The last nine years of Montreal Canadiens hockey have been at best mediocre. The historic franchise, known for its winning tradition, has fallen from grace. This fall is akin to the career of Robert DeNiro, a great actor, who due to poor choices in films to star in is no longer putting up the great results of the past. Like DeNiro’s poor film choices, the Canadiens’ lack of success can be attributed to their poor drafting. I have taken a look back at the Canadiens’ last ten years of drafting, highlighting their first round picks, to show their mediocre drafting has led to mediocre hockey.
In 2000 the Canadiens were blessed with two first round draft picks. With the #13 overall pick the Habs chose Ron Hainsey. Hainsey, who has found success after leaving the team, only played 32 games with the Habs before the Habs gave up on him, and released him on waivers in 2005 to be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. In his short career with the Habs, Hainsey put up 1 goal and 1 assist with a plus-2 rating. With San Jose’s #16 overall pick acquired in exchange for Vincent Damphousse), the Canadiens drafted Marcel Hossa, otherwise known as Marian’s little brother. After putting up good numbers in the American league, Hossa never seemed to catch on in the NHL. In 59 games played for the Canadiens, Hossa managed to score 10 goals, with 9 assists, and a plus-2. Hossa was traded prior to the 2005-06 season to the New York Rangers in exchange for Garth Murray. Hossa is currently playing for Dinamo Riga in the KHL.
In 2001 the Habs continued to draft American born defenseman when the picked Mike Komisarek with the #7 pick. Komisarek proved to be one of the few successful 1st round draft picks this decade, playing 361 games for the Habs, putting up 12 goals, 46 assists, +13, and sitting in the penalty box for 496 minutes. Komisarek’s success on the Habs can be attributed to his slow development within the American league, as well as benefitting from being paired with top-notch defense partner Andrei Markov. Komisarek went Benedict Arnold in 2009 when he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 22.5 million over 5 years.
With Washington’s #25 overall pick in 2001 (acquired in a trade where the Habs acquired Richard Zednik , Jan Bulis, and said pick in exchange for Trevor Linden, Danius Zubrus, and New Jersey’s 2nd round pick in ’01) the Canadiens drafted Alexander Perezhogin. After briefly becoming the hope of Habs fans (playing in 128 games putting up 15 goals 19 assists and +16), Perezhogin fled to the KHL where he is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev UFA. If Perezhogin decides to return to the NHL, the Canadiens retain his rights. Montreal struck gold in the 3rd round of the ’01 draft when they drafted current number one center Tomas Plekanec #71 overall, arguably Montreal’s best pick of the decade.
Montreal was so high on Christopher Higgins in 2002 that they traded up one spot to #14 overall to insure that they drafted him. Higgins played in 282 games for the Canadiens, never managing to find the offense that the organization and fans expected out of him (84 goals, 67 assists, -13). Higgins was traded to the New York Rangers in the summer of 2009 in exchange for Scott Gomez. Unable to produce the numbers the Rangers expected out of him, Higgins was traded this week to the Calgary Flames.
Habs fans were told that Andrei Kostitsyn would have been drafted higher than #10 overall if it weren’t for his health condition. Although he hasn’t been slowed down by the seizures that complicated his early life, Kostitsyn has yet to put up the numbers expected out of him (226 games played, 64 goals, 69 assists, +15). Habs fans can name off players who the Canadiens passed over to draft Kostitsyn, but Andrei’s game has been improving year after year, as he slowly develops into the 30 goal scorer that all Habs fans want him to become. 2003 was a fruitful year for this year’s edition of the Canadiens. In later rounds the Habs drafted Maxim Lapierre (#61 overall), Ryan O’Byrne (#79), and Jaroslav Halak (stealing him with the #271 pick).
2004 brought upon another disappointing draft for Habs fans. With the #18 pick Montreal selected Kyle Chipchura. The organization had high hopes for Chipchura, hoping he would replace long time captain Saku Koivu when he left the team as the new leader. After a disappointing 68 games as a Canadien (4 goals, 10 assists, -17) and taking way too many bus trips between Hamilton and Montreal, Chipchura was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December 2009 in exchange for a 4th round draft pick in 2011.
With one ball in the 2005 draft lottery Montreal won the #5 overall pick. At the surprise to most Habs fans the Canadiens selected goaltender Carey Price, just one short season after Jose Theodore’s Hart and Vezina season. After posting an incredible career in junior hockey, and leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to the Calder Cup, Price became the great hope for all Canadiens fans. Price has had an up and down career in Montreal. Price currently has a 58-45-17 record with a 2.72 GAA and a .912 save percentage. The Carey Price bandwagon is constantly being jumped on and off after every Habs game. While Price’s game needs improvement, it is too early in his career to call this pick a flop. In 2005, the Canadiens also drafted Matt D’Agostini with the 190th pick and Sergei Kostitsyn with the 200th pick.
With the exception Max Pacioretty, the #22 pick in 2007, (86 games played, 6 goals, 19 assists, -8), the Canadiens have yet to see a draft pick from 2006-2009 play a game in the NHL. Pacioretty, who the organization is hoping becomes the power forward that the team is missing, underperformed with the Canadiens, earning him a demotion to Hamilton to give him time to improve his game.
2006 pick David Fischer (#20) is finishing his senior year at the University of Minnesota. Fischer is projected to be a stay-at-home defenseman, but he will not be skating at the Bell Centre for at least another year, while he transitions to the professional game in the AHL. Highly touted defenseman Ryan McDonagh, the #12 pick in 2007, was traded in the summer of 2009 to the New York Rangers as part of the Gomez deal. The Canadiens traded away their #25 pick on draft day 2008 in exchange for Alex Tanguay. Tanguay would go on to play one injury plagued season in Montreal before signing with the Tampa Bay Lighting.
In front of a hometown crowd the Montreal Canadiens selected Louis LeBlanc with the #18 pick in 2009. LeBlanc represents the hope of Habs fans to become the power forward that the team has been lacking for a long time. LeBlanc is currently playing his freshman year at Harvard. The constant hope beaming out of Habs fans eyes with every new draft pick has brought upon nothing but mediocre hockey in Montreal. If the Canadiens are to succeed in the NHL they will need to start developing their drafted players into quality NHL players.
Ben Ostroff
bostroff@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter: @bensucks
