Canadiens: Redrafting Last 10 1st Round Picks
2007 Draft
Drafted: D Ryan McDonagh (1st Round 12th Overall), LW Max Pacioretty (1st Round 22nd Overall)
Redraft: D Kevin Shattenkirk (1st Round 14th Overall), LW David Perron (1st Round 26th Overall)
The 2007 draft ended up being very good for the Canadiens. They drafted 4 regular NHL contributors. The only knock on it is that they foolishly traded McDonagh in the famed Scott Gomez trade.
Outside of that, they got 2 core pieces on their current squad in Pacioretty and stole star defender P.K. Subban in the 2nd round.
Unlike the 2006 draft, the Canadiens likely don’t come out on top in a redraft of 2007. McDonagh has been a stalwart on the Rangers blueline in his 5 year career. He was named captain in 2014 and is a consistent contributor to the Rangers attack.
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He’s had his share of injury concerns but I believe it’s safe to say the Canadiens and their fans wish Gainey had not made that Gomez trade. He’d be a great asset to have right now.
Meanwhile, Pacioretty has become one of the best snipers in the NHL. He ranks in the top 5 for goals over the past 5 seasons and is a near lock to score 30 per year. He was just named the Canadiens captain last fall and though his first year in the role could have been better, he’s still an elite winger.
Had Montreal opted to go another route, they could have reached even further than the Avalanche did and taken Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk was viewed as an undersized offensive defender and was ranked as a mid-2nd round player. The Avalanche ultimately took him 14th overall and not unlike the Canadiens, they ended up trading him to the St. Louis Blues.
Despite being traded, the Avalanche at least got a quality player in return in Erik Johnson. As good as Shattenkirk is offensively, McDonagh is way better defensively while still being a solid offensive player.
With their second 1st round pick, the Canadiens could have opted to go with winger David Perron. Perron made the Blues right out of junior and has since been a regular NHL contributor for 9 seasons. He’s had a solid career with five 40-point seasons but is a major downgrade from Pacioretty and Montreal would ultimately lose.
Next: 2009 Draft