Montreal Canadiens: Five Best Draft Picks Since 2000

The Montreal Canadiens have had hits and misses at the NHL Draft over the past 20 years. Here, we take a look at the five best selections they made in the past 20 drafts.

The Montreal Canadiens were scheduled to host the 2020 NHL Draft at the Bell Centre in about two months. With the league on hiatus and the world as we know it on pause, that draft will not be taking place as usual. There will be a 2020 NHL Draft, but it won’t look anything like it has in the past.

Whenever it does take place, and whatever it looks like, the Habs will have plenty of opportunities to improve their team. They currently hold 14 picks in the seven round event and with general manager Marc Bergevin‘s penchant for making moves at the draft, he could add even more before the dust settles.

This gives the team many chances to add an impact player. We have seen great players coming out of every round of the draft lately. Obviously it is easier to find a future star in the first few picks, but the Habs were able to add Jake Evans, Brett Stapley and Cayden Primeau with recent seventh round picks.

All three could be draft steals. You don’t really expect much with a seventh round pick, but somehow the Habs have been adding players that can make some sort of impact late in the draft. Getting a fourth line centre like Evans with a seventh rounder is excellent value.

Of course, getting a similar player in the first round, like when the Habs drafted Kyle Chipchura, isn’t exactly great value. It’s better than nothing, but you want your first round picks to turn into top six forwards or top four defenceman to get real value out of that pick.

We have seen the Habs add great players late, and we have seen them turn early picks into next to nothing. With no games to talk about lately, we have started to put together some “Top 5” posts about various topics. Today, we take a look back at the five best draft picks the Habs made in the past 20 years.