With the Montreal Canadiens season on hiatus, we have been taking a look back at some of their past drafts. Today, we look back and grade every pick from the 2010 NHL Draft.
The Montreal Canadiens have built up a great group of prospects in the past few years. We haven’t looked back at the most recent draft because it is a little too early to make any grand proclamations about 19 or 20 year old hockey players.
So, we have been looking back at the drafts a little earlier than that. We started with the 2017 NHL Draft and have been working our way backwards. Today, we take a look at the 2010 NHL Draft.
The Montreal Canadiens were light on early selections just like they were in the 2011 NHL Draft. They packaged their first overall pick, which was 27th overall with their second round pick which was 57th overall to get the 22nd pick and a fourth round pick from the Arizona Coyotes.
The Canadiens also didn’t have a third round pick in 2010. In the 2008-09 season, the Habs traded a second round pick in 2009 and a third round pick in 2010 for Mathieu Schneider. Montreal also dealt their sixth round pick in 2010 for a seventh round pick in 2009.
This left the Habs with a first round pick, two fourth round picks, a fifth round pick and a seventh round pick.
Keep in mind, when grading draft picks, it depends on what round the pick was, who else was available shortly after the pick was made and how much of an NHL impact the player had later on, whether he played for Montreal or was traded away and played elsewhere.
What that means is getting a third line winger in the sixth round is a terrific pick, because most sixth round picks don’t turn into regular NHL contributors. Getting a third pairing defenceman in the first round? Not great value considering where the pick was made.
So, let’s take a look at every pick the Habs made in 2010 and give them a grade for it now that we are a decade in the future.