Canadiens: 2022 Draft Has Chance To Turn Page On History Of Mistakes

The Montreal Canadiens and the NHL Draft have a rocky relationship, to say the least. Now, admittedly, this is somewhat surprising considering all the success the Habs have managed as an NHL franchise to begin with, but regardless, the point still stands. One may be quick to assume that much of what made the 50s and 70s Canadiens dynasties great was attributed to their scouting and development, and well the answer isn’t exactly as simple as that.

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When discussing anything related to the yesteryears of the NHL, it’s important to understand how different the league was back then, even in the short time span between the pre-salary cap 2003-04 season and post-salary cap 2005-06 season. Going into this year’s off-season, the Canadiens are essentially back at square one following a disastrous 2021-22 season that saw them become the first team to finish 32nd in the NHL. While much of this in retrospect can be attributed to the teams abysmal first half under former head coach Dominique Ducharme, things at least seem to be looking up slightly at this point.