2. Max Pacioretty
Max Pacioretty was acquired as part of a trade that sent Craig Rivet to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline in 2007. Though the Habs were in the mix for a playoff spot that year, general manager Bob Gainey pulled the trigger on a deal that brought them a first round pick that he would use to select Pacioretty.
It was a bit slow starting out, but Pacioretty turned into one of the best goal scorers in the league. His first taste of NHL action came in the 2008-09 campaign which didn’t go well for really anyone in Montreal. Pacioretty scored three goals and 11 points in 34 games and had just three goals and 11 assists the following year in 52 games.
Things got better in the 2010-11 season before devastating injury, but the New Canaan native really broke out in 2011-12. Pacioretty became a consistent 30 goal scorer, hitting the mark in five consecutive full seasons. He set a career high with 39 in the 2013-14 season and scored 67 points the following year.
On a team that didn’t have a lot of scoring depth, or any other real offensive stars, Pacioretty helped lead the Habs to four playoff appearances in five years and had three 100 point seasons in a four year span. Without Pacioretty’s offence, they would have been lucky to even get to the postseason.
In ten seasons with the Habs, Pacioretty scored 226 goals and 222 assists for 448 points in 626 games. He has 118 more goals than any other American in Habs history and is 139 points ahead of Chris Chelios who has the second most points by an American in Canadiens history.