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Montreal Canadiens: Reasons Why This Lost Season Was Definitely Not a Waste

By Ken MacMillan

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 27: Cole Caufield #22 of the Montreal Canadiens and Nick Suzuki. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 27: Cole Caufield #22 of the Montreal Canadiens and Nick Suzuki. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 19: Montreal Canadiens, Jeff Gorton (L) and Kent Hughes. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 19: Montreal Canadiens, Jeff Gorton (L) and Kent Hughes. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

New Leaders Off the Ice

Speaking of making the most of an early pick, the Canadiens have not been able to do that with their pair of third overall picks.

In fact, most of their first round picks have been terrible. Cole Caufield looks pretty good right now, but there was a long line of first round picks not working out for the Canadiens before him.

Over a span of seven years, the Habs came away with Noah Juulsen, Nikita Scherbak, Michael McCarron, Alex Galchenyuk, Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi and Louis Leblanc. All of those players were first round picks of the Canadiens and all of those players were placed on waivers at some point in their short careers.

One of the first things Kent Hughes talked about after being named the team’s new general manager this season was development. He said there would be more communication with prospects about their on-ice development as well as their off-ice tendencies. That is music to Habs fans ears after about a decade of failed top prospects.

Hughes also showed at the trade deadline he wasn’t going to let others dictate his trades. He probably could have dealt Chris Wideman or Mathieu Perreault for a very meagre return but he didn’t because he didn’t get the offer he wanted for them.

That might mean they lose these players for nothing at the end of the season, but it was the same mentality that eventually resulted in fantastic trades for Artturi Lehkonen and Brett Kulak. Adding a couple of second round picks and a great prospect in Justin Barron for those Kulak and Lehkonen is terrific value for the Canadiens.

Also, behind the bench, Martin St. Louis has been a breath of fresh air. He immediately unlocked the offensive potential of a number of players, and has trusted young defenders like Jordan Harris, Justin Barron and Corey Schueneman in big situations which will help their confidence and development.

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