Montreal Canadiens: The 1992 Draft Got the Habs Max Pacioretty

Many thank the 2007 NHL Draft for the Montreal Canadiens acquiring team captain Max Pacioretty, but the story actually starts back at the 1992 Draft.

I know what you’re thinking, “Trade Trees are Steve Dangle‘s thing”, and you would be right to think so. However, those initial posts have opened up different avenues for fans to think of how their teams acquire their talent. For example, the Montreal Canadiens. On the surface, you can trace back a player’s acquisition to a single event. However, there are other times where different things come together.

Pop quiz. How did the Montreal Canadiens acquire Top 10 left-winger and team captain Max Pacioretty? The obvious answer is: Pacioretty was drafted by the Canadiens in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. What many may not know is that the story of number 67 on the team goes back 15 years earlier.

The 1992 NHL Entry Draft

The Montreal Canadiens had a solid regular season that year. Head coach Pat Burns (ya we’re going that far back) led them to win the Adams Division going 41-28-11 for 93 points. Additionally, a then 25-year-old Kirk Muller led the Canadiens in scoring with 36 goals and 41 assists.

Their season didn’t last as long as they wanted to. After defeating the Hartford Whalers in seven games, the Canadiens were swept by the Boston Bruins in the second round. When it was all said and done, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

Then eyes went to the draft. Because the Habs finished fifth in the league in the regular season, they would be selecting fifth last in each round. In the first round, the Canadiens selected David Wilkie from Kamloops of the WHL. He didn’t really pan out only dressing in 167 NHL games.

However, it’s not the first round we want to pay attention to, but the third. That’s where Montreal selected Craig Rivet from the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. Now this name should turn on a lightbulb if you’ve followed the team for many years.

As of 2006, Rivet was the longest-serving player on the Montreal Canadiens roster. He manned the blue-line in 923 games scoring 50 goals and 187 assists. Obviously he was limited offensively, but he was dominating force for the Canadiens and was able to effectively shutdown opponent’s lines.

Days Before the 2007 Trade Deadline

The Montreal Canadiens season could’ve gone either way that year. They were 3-7 in their last 10 games around the deadline, and the playoffs were far from a guarantee. Rivet was having a decent season so far with six goals and 10 assists. Unfortunately, he had missed the previous nine games with pneumonia.

More from Editorials

• Montreal Canadiens: Senators Rebuild At Crisis Point As Kent Hughes Moves Forward
• Montreal Canadiens: Jonathan Drouin Continues Charity Work In Montreal After Leaving Habs
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Lineup Going To Be Must Watch
• Montreal Canadiens: Jesse Ylönen Contract Extension Analysis
• Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #31 Quentin Miller

Rivet’s future with the team was probably over. Not only was he set to become a UFA, but he had a heated argument with then head coach Guy Carbonneau after he was made a healthy scratch for a game against the Vancouver Canucks.

General Manager Bob Gainey decided to make a move. On February 25th 2007, the Montreal Canadiens traded Rivet and a 2008 5th round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Josh Gorges and a 2007 1st round pick.

Gorges would continue on to be an “ok” addition to the team. His highest point total was 23 points after the 2008-2009 season. San Jose would use that 5th rounder to draft Julien Demers, but he would never see time in the NHL.

The 2007 NHL Entry Draft

At the end of that season, the Habs would go 42-34-6 for 90 points. That had them 3rd in the Northeast Division but missing the playoffs.

Montreal wasn’t able to pull off a miracle draft lottery win, and instead was slotted to select 12th overall. But remember, from their trade at the deadline, they had a second first round pick. San Jose made it to the second round of the playoffs losing to the Detroit Red Wings. Therefore, Montreal’s second 1st round pick would be 22nd overall.

This is where we reach the end of our story. Montreal would draft Ryan McDonagh 12th overall and finally Max Pacioretty 22nd overall.

Fast forward to present time and Pacioretty has nine NHL seasons under his belt. He’s also a top winger in the NHL with 209 goals and 202 assists so far. It’s amazing to see how the dominos fall with these kind of things. The Montreal Canadiens drafted a player who ended up playing on the team for many years which led to the drafting a player who they hope will play on the team for many years more.

Next: Building a Team With Only Drafted Players

What do you make of these chain of events? Are you surprised? Let us know your thoughts down below!