A Winning Habit
Fansided

Five Best Late Draft Picks By Canadiens Since 2000

By Patrick Lortie

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 03: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates during the NHL game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on February 3, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 03: Tomas Plekanec #14 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates during the NHL game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on February 3, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 30: Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Centre Bell on January 30, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 30: Brendan Gallagher #11 of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Centre Bell on January 30, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Brendan Gallagher is one of the poster childs of undersized players that was passed over but through hard work and determination, became a legitimate and successful player in the NHL.

What is interesting about Gallagher’s pick was that the year he was drafted, he had just finished a campaign where he scored 41 goals, tallied 40 assists for 81 points tagging along 111 penalty minutes. On top of that, he had notched 21 points in 16 playoff games.

As usual, scouts looked at his height and saw he was under 6 feet and went elsewhere. It didn’t matter that he was as strong as an ox and could plant a player twice his size flat on his back, he was another undersized winger who wouldn’t make it.

The Canadiens used their 5th round pick on him. Probably after one of their western scouts telling them that he’s a relentless player who can score in a league that is notoriously known for its tight defensive systems.

Regrets were few.

Gallagher amped it up with another 44 goal campaign and ended his WHL career with another 41 goal season. A 36 game stint in the AHL is all it took for Gally and off to the races he went.

Two 30 goal seasons, two 20 goal seasons, the adoration of fans young and old and a leader on and off the ice. Teams hate playing against him but would take him on their side any day of the week. He made a career of playing with reckless abandon and crashing the net just for the sake of representing the logo on his chest rather than the name on his back.

An extremely generous human being and despite never winning any individual awards, fans will always respect and remember him.

There must have been something in the water at the 2010 draft because the 5th round also featured Zach Hyman being drafted by the Florida Panthers and John Klingberg by the Dallas Stars. Round 6 would then see the Rangers draft Jesper Fast and all the way near the end of the round the Ottawa Senators grabbed a winger named Mark Stone.

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