Montreal Canadiens: How A Trade Correction Led to Jacob de La Rose

The way the Montreal Canadiens were able to get the opportunity to draft Jacob de La Rose was another one of those weird trade circumstances.

For the most part, there are three ways to acquire a player. Draft them, trade for them, or you sign them. What’s interesting about the Montreal Canadiens are how many of the drafting avenues haven’t been so clear.

Max Pacioretty‘s time to be selected actually started back in 1992 and Montreal wouldn’t have had that 5th round pick in 2012 to draft Charles Hudon if the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t resign a certain player. It’s all pretty circumstantial, but luck is definitely a big part in being successful in the NHL (management-wise).

Pacioretty is an elite goal scorer for the Habs and Hudon is just about to make his jump to full-time jump to the show after an impressive camp. However, they weren’t the only players on the team with a cloudy Canadiens origin.

Related Story: Saving Graces of the Preseason

Ironically, this story is about a player who, just like Hudon, will finally get a shot at an 82 game season. A prospect that many fans have looked into and believed in: Jacob de La Rose. It’s fitting that this next one is about him isn’t it?

The 23-year-old’s time in the Montreal Canadiens organization hasn’t been smooth sailing. After playing 33 NHL games for the Habs in the 2014-2015 season, his opportunities dropped to 22 games and then 9 in successive years. It was getting to the point where fans weren’t sure whether he would be a longtime fit.

Fortunately he was able to improve in the latter half of training camp. It’s safe to say that the fourth line center position is his for the time being. That’s the future, let’s take a look at the past for the moment and see how the Habs actually acquired de La Rose.

Story Time

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Give me your ears (or eyes) Canadiens fans. For our story begins with a name, and that name was Hal Gill. The Massachusetts was taken by the Boston Bruins in the 8th round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Gill was a massive defenceman standing at six-foot-seven and excelled in stopping and preventing scoring chances. Offence was never a major aspect of his game though.

He began his NHL career in the 1997-1998 season and would play another seven years with the Bruins after that. Boston decided to move on from Gill and allow him to hit the open market in 2006. The Toronto Maple Leafs signed him to a three-year deal but then he was traded to Pittsburgh in his second season to help with their Stanley Cup run.

To the Habs

After the Penguins’ first championship in years, Gill hit the open market again. This time he signed with the Montreal Canadiens. Gill played the entirety of his two-year deal but then re-upped  with the Habs for the 2011-2012 season.

That year wasn’t going as smoothly for the Habs as the playoffs looked out of reach. Because of that, then GM Pierre Gauthier decided to get some value for players on expiring deals. Gill was one of the casualties of that season’s trade deadline. Montreal traded him and a conditional 5th round pick in 2013 for Blake Geoffrion, Robert Slaney and a 2012 2nd round pick.

You can tell how significant a deal like that was. Not only were the Montreal Canadiens losing one of its veterans and mentors to the younger players, but they were acquiring the grandson of Bernie Geoffrion. You know, the Habs great who coined the slap shot.

Related Story: Remembering Bernie Geoffrion

However the Habs weren’t done. That conditional 5th didn’t last with Nashville for long as it was returned to Montreal along with a 2013 2nd round pick for Andrei Kostitsyn. Whether it was a mistake or not who knows, but Montreal got that pick back and got another.

Fast forward a year later, and Montreal would use that 2nd round pick (34th overall) to select Jacob de La Rose Leksands IF of the SHL. A fun rule that most use when they’re kids is, “no givsys backsys”. Well if that applied to the NHL, the Habs may have might’ve missed their chance to get him.

Next: Jacob de La Rose Made the Team

What do you think of this Habs Trade Story? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Trade info from nhltradetracker.com