Canadiens: An In-Depth Look At The Franchise’s Top Five Draft Busts

Draft busts are a dime a dozen in the NHL, whether you like to believe it or not, and the same applies to teams like the Montreal Canadiens. It goes without saying, the Canadiens haven’t drafted particularly well over the past 20-ish years (something I’ve discussed previously over the past month). Ever since the days of the 70s dynasty (which admittedly will likely never occur again), Montreal has endured brief periods of success followed by lengthier periods of mediocrity, and most of this, unfortunately, comes down to scouting, drafting and player development. Three things which the Habs well, haven’t been that fantastic at.

However, I’m not going to just look up the Canadiens draft history and pluck a few names from the list, rather I’d like to define what truly qualifies as a draft bust, whether it be in terms of where they were drafted, career length, where they played, or even if they ended up in the NHL to begin with. As surprising as it is, many didn’t, and whilst most, if not all weren’t NHL stars, some did find occasional bottom six roles, such as Jason Ward, Turner Stevenson, and, as much as I hate to say it, Doug Wickenheiser. While Wickenheiser was the first overall pick in 1980, he still played 556 NHL games and was simply never given any sort of chance by the Montreal media, fans, or even coaching and management (regardless of who went after him).

What this means, in essence, is that I’m looking for players who didn’t find a regular NHL role or possibly make the NHL at all (which again, happened more than you’d think). To be frank, draft busts have been discussed to no length and doing another random top five list (something I’ve admittedly been no stranger to) wouldn’t do justice to the quite frankly bizarre career paths these players went on to have after being taken with that all-illustrious Canadiens first round pick, So, with that being said, here’s a more in-depth look at the top five Montreal Canadiens draft busts in franchise history.

5. Matt Higgins

Position: Center

Selected: 18th overall, Montreal Canadiens, 1996 NHL Entry Draft

NHL games: 57 (1-2-3 totals)

To start things off, we have yet another (albeit early) product of the all-too dubious Rejean Houle era as GM of the Canadiens. Higgins was a talented and promising offensive center out of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, posting 33-57-90 totals over 71 games in his final season. However, in a draft that saw the likes of Marco Sturm and Daniel Briere get selected after, Higgins immediately struggled to adapt to the NHL and ultimately never did. Higgins takes fifth place on this list because while his NHL career was an unbelievable flop (just look at his totals), Montreal did at the very least give him opportunities when the team had little in the way of offense, goaltending, coaching, managing, or even owning. Playing in 25 games in both the 1998-99 and 1999-00 season, Higgins put up his only careers points, playing in just 6 more games split between 1997-98 and 2000-01.

Even in the AHL, Higgins struggled to adapt to professional ice, posting 19-59-78 totals over 156 games in the Habs organization, an average of around 0.5 points per game. After being let go by the Habs in the 2001 offseason, Higgins returned to the AHL, signing with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In Bridgeport, Higgins play improved, settling in as a two-way checking center with slight offensive upside, playing a hard-nosed role in the teams 2001-02 run to the Calder Cup Finals.

After that, Higgins headed overseas to Germany, signing with the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters where he rediscovered his offensive touch, posting back-to-back 40-point seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07. After the 2008-09 season, Higgins finished his career in Austria, posting career highs of 21-25-46 totals over 48 games in his final season in 2010-11. Higgins is ultimately a bizarre case as his poor play could either boil down to his own faults or the faults of the Canadiens system. Regardless, it seemed as though he only find his scoring touch once overseas, and as such, he takes number five on this list.

4. David Fischer

Position: Defenseman

Selected: 20th overall, 2006 NHL Entry Draft

NHL games: 0

Okay, now we’re getting into the very bizarre and quite frankly, very specific. For those of you astute enough to remember who Fischer is, you might be wondering why he’s fourth on this list. As you can see, he never played an NHL game, and just jeez, look who went after, from Nick Foligno to Semyon Varlamov to Patrik Berglund to even Claude “how does one mess up this bad” Giroux (yes, I am not joking), though, to be fair, there’s a few small specifics I must get into. From this point onward, none of these players came anywhere close to a regular NHL role. Thus, I must look at how their careers elsewhere fared (as nitpicky as it may be) and that’s where Fischer comes into the conversation. Even for who went after, the same can be said for practically every player coming after, and, as hard as it to believe, Fischer arguably had the most successful career outside the NHL, of all the players from here on out.

A product of the University of Minnesota, I’m still not entirely sure what the Canadiens saw in Fischer outside of his above-average size  at 6’03 and 202 pounds. While he was a star player at Apple Valley High School, the prospect of taking an unproven high school prospect in 2006 makes little sense to me, and his play at University did little to dispel doubters. Fischer became little but a mid-pairing stay-at-home defensemen at Minnesota, with limited offensive numbers and a lack of any real production. After the 2009-10 season, the Habs decided to not sign Fischer, and he subsequently signed with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. Fischer starred early in the East Coast League, posting 6-44-50 totals over 65 games in his second season.

After playing 2 games on loan with the AHL’s Houston Aeros (his only AHL games) Fischer headed overseas where he’s been a reliable, two-way defenseman and leader in both the German first and second division, as well as a lengthy stint with Klagenfurt AC in Austria. While he retired after the 2019-20 season, Fischer at least put together a solid career for himself overseas, and to be honest, I see no reason as to why Fischer is to blame for where he was selected in this case, as again, taking a high school player in the first round in 2006, is bizarre. In spite of that, though, he never had any sort of career in North America, and as such, he takes the number four spot on this list.

2. Lindsay Vallis

Position: Right Wing

Selected: 13th overall, 1989 NHL Entry Draft

NHL games: 1 (0-0-0 totals)

Finally, we get to one of the more familiar (I guess?) draft busts in Canadiens history, Lindsay Vallis, the 13th overall pick in the 1989 draft who played in just 1 NHL game, in the 1993-94 season. A talented offensive, playmaking winger out of the WHL’s Thunderbirds (briefly playing alongside Bilodeau) the Habs seemingly couldn’t get enough of Seattle’s talent, also taking top scorer Turner Stevenson 12th overall the next year (who was a productive bottom six forward in the NHL for years, though not offensively). While he had shown tremendous potential in junior, record 70+ points in three of his four seasons, Vallis never became anything of note in the NHL and fizzled out quickly.

After playing in seven playoff games with AHL Fredericton in 1990-91, Vallis became a regular bottom-six contributor for the team, though he didn’t see any NHL ice even in Montreal’s Stanley Cup Championship 1992-93 season. Ultimately, Montreal gave Vallis a one-game audition in 1993-94 as they realized his stock was fading and cut ties with him in the offseason. After that, Vallis, like Bilodeau and many others, bounced around the minor leagues, spending time in the AHL, WCHL, and UHL. After struggling in a bottom six role with the Worcester IceCats for two seasons, Vallis found his scoring touch in the lower-level leagues, becoming a star for the Bakersfield Fog and Asheville Smoke. Recording two seasons with 90+ points, including highs of 27-73-100 totals over 66 games in the 1998-99 season (earning his last AHL callup) Vallis retired after the 1999-00 season, briefly serving as a Player-Assistant coach with the Fog in 1997-98.

Again, Vallis’ career in hindsight was a major disappoint. He only found his scoring touch in lower-level leagues and never did enough to earn a real chance with the Canadiens. Even after swapping first rounders with the New York Rangers (along with enforcer Chris Nilan) in January of 1988, neither team ended up the victor, with New York selecting inconsistent NHL forward Steven Rice 20th. Not to mention the fact that Adam Foote was selected after (though the Habs did snag Patrice Brisebois 31st). Ultimately though, as specific as this is, Vallis was a top scorer somewhere, and was briefly an AHL regular, albeit in a minor role (as compared to the player coming up). As such, he earns number two on this list.

1. Terry Ryan

Position: Left Wing

Selected: 8th overall, 1995 NHL Entry Draft

Honestly, I hate to do this. For those of you not aware, Ryan has actually written a book about his experiences in hockey, entitled Tales of a First-Round Nothing, My Life as an NHL Footnote, which I’d recommend you take a look at if you haven’t. It’s an interesting, personal dive into the life of the numerous brief blips that appear on the NHL’s seemingly never-ending radar. Similarly, Ryan’s career after leaving the Canadiens organization has been nothing short of interesting. However, ultimately, in spite of the numerous injuries and poor off-ice decisions that plagued him, Ryan’s career was just too short and unremarkable for an eighth overall pick in an extremely talented draft.

As a promising and talented winger out of the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, Ryan was a potent mix of a terrific offensive player and intimidating physical presence. Posting highs of 50-60-110 totals and 207 PM’s over 70 games in the 1994-95 season, the Newfoundland native was a playoff star and seen as a can’t miss prospect. However, off the ice, Ryan had a penchant for being hot-headed and impatient, and alienated Habs coaching and management with a know-it-all attitude, which, ultimately, along with injuries, sank his NHL chances. While Habs management took their time with Ryan giving him the occasional NHL game, he struggled in the minors with Fredericton and was in the penalty box often, posting 256 PM’s in the 1997-98 season.

After two more stints of four games in 97-98 and one game in 1998-99, Ryan refused to report to the AHL’s Quebec Citadelles (citing disagreements with head coach Michel Therrien), instead signing a minor-league deal with the St. John’s Maple Leafs in the 1999-00 season. This ultimately sank Ryan’s NHL chances, as his rights were held by the Canadiens (who refused to trade him) and he wouldn’t get playing time over other Toronto Maple Leafs prospects, as he well, wasn’t a Leafs prospect.

While he likely would’ve gotten playing time as the Habs were ravaged by injuries that season, a high ankle sprain leading up to one last chance with the Dallas Stars ultimately ended Ryan’s NHL dreams. After bouncing around several random lower-level leagues, (including an ACHL? Championship with the Orlando Seals in 2002-03) Ryan went into ball hockey, representing Canada internationally, and senior hockey, losing the 2014 Allan Cup in the finals with the Clarenville Caribous. Along with this, Ryan currently works in the film industry, with spare roles in several shows, and was slated to have a regular role in a spinoff of the hit Canadian show Letterkenny, entitled Shoresy.

Ultimately, Ryan is the, as much as I’ve said it, weirdest case on this list, as his life outside of hockey has been immensely successful and he had his moments albeit brief, in junior, the lower-level leagues, and even the AHL in bits and pieces. Unfortunately, his own shortcomings as a inexperienced, hot-headed young kid and top prospect to boot, ultimately cost him his NHL chances, in spite of being a fascinating story. Not to mention, Jean Sebastien Giguere, Petr Sykora, and Jarome “that honestly just isn’t a good look” Iginla were selected after, which is honestly just, wow. Because of this, in spite of the anomaly that is Ryan’s career both inside and outside of hockey, this ultimately lands him number one on this list.

Conclusion/Thoughts

Going through these past five players careers has been both bizarre and equally fascinating, and each of these players is deserving of being remembered in their own specific way, even if as footnotes in the all-encompassing circuit that was mid to late 90s minor league hockey. In the end, the Canadiens drafting has honestly been terrible over the past years, and this list is further proof of that, yet hopefully, things will be brighter in the future with the presence of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and potentially, Shane Wright in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft. Until then however, Montreal Canadiens fans will be left with little but the memory of all the previous draft busts, this franchise has had the misfortune of selecting.

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