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Montreal Canadiens: Five Worst Draft Picks Since 2000

By Ken MacMillan

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Alex Galchenyuk (C), third overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens, poses with team representatives during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Alex Galchenyuk (C), third overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens, poses with team representatives during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL – JUNE 26: Director of Player Recruitment and Development Trevor Timmons of the Montreal Canadiens shakes hands with draft pick Louis Leblanc (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
MONTREAL – JUNE 26: Director of Player Recruitment and Development Trevor Timmons of the Montreal Canadiens shakes hands with draft pick Louis Leblanc (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

#3: Michael McCarron

The Canadiens management team couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces when they were walking to the podium to select Michael McCarron. The 25th overall selection in the 2013 draft was a huge forward who didn’t show a lot of scoring punch, but hey, he was tall and the Habs had just been bullied into an opening round playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators.

No one could ever quite figure out if McCarron was a centre or a winger, as he bounced back and forth in the OHL, AHL and in NHL camps. He never found a position or a role with the Habs that lasted very long. He played a total of 69 NHL games in his career thus far and scored eight points.

That’s not great value, even late in the first round. It looks even worse when you look back and see that Shea Theodore went with the very next selection and has turned into a terrific defenceman for the Vegas Golden Knights.

#2: Louis Leblanc

Another player that we couldn’t figure out if he was a centre or a winger. He was supposed to be a “safe” pick in the draft because his hockey sense and defensive game were so strong he was sure to fit into the bottom six of an NHL lineup in a “worst case scenario.”

Well, the Habs realized something worse than their own projected worst case scenario as Leblanc retired from hockey in 2016 with more games played for the Montreal Juniors of the QMJHL, where he spent one season, that he played for the Montreal Canadiens.

Leblanc was selected with the 18th overall selection in the 2009 NHL Draft. It was quite a moment when someone that grew up in Montreal was selected by the Canadiens inside the Bell Centre in the first round of the draft. The New York Rangers would select Chris Kreider with the very next pick and he has played almost 500 more games than Leblanc already and just signed a long-term deal.

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