Five Best Late Draft Picks By Canadiens Since 2000

Everyone’s favorite turtleneck wearing hockey player.

Tomas Plekanec was one of five players of the 2001 draft to have played at least 1000 NHL games. The others are Jason Spezza, Mikko Koivu, Dan Hamhuis and Jason Pominville. Spezza, Koivu and Hamhuis were first round picks while Pominville was drafted in the second round.

Outside the first round, there were a few highlights but it wasn’t a particularly deep draft. I’m sure more than one team would want a mulligan and draft Plekanec much higher as he quickly became one of the most respected two-way players in the game.

15 seasons in the NHL which included that awkward 17 game trip to the Toronto Maple Leafs to give Plekanec a chance to win the Stanley Cup, only of course, to see his dream slip away after 7 games in the first round.

Plekanec love Montreal through and through. Normally shy and reserved with the media, he would always take the time to chat with fans outside of the arena. He loved playing for the city and tried to represent his team in the best way possible. Never did he request a trade, never did he even consider a free agency offer. He was deeply rooted with the Canadiens and didn’t want to go anywhere else.

Plekanec gave the Canadiens 7 20 goal seasons and was a model of consistency. Effective at the faceoff dot, capable of killing penalties, could be used on the powerplay, he was able to do it all.

One of the greatest traits of Plekanec was that he knew that at times he was playing above his pay grade. He was an excellent second line center but because of the team’s ever lack of depth down the middle, was pitted on the first line and just over-used by his coaches. Still, he never complained and made the best of it.

Armchair GM’s and rumor sites have traded Plekanec out of Montreal at least 4,000 times during his career. Yet he remained and although Nick Suzuki now wears #14, many fans will still remember the turtleneck taking that faceoff.

Honorable Mentions:

• Ryan O’Byrne (3rd Round – 79th Overall – 2003)
• Mikhail Grabovski  (5th Round – 150th Overall – 2004)
• Sergei Kostitsyn (7th Round – 200th Overall – 2005)
• Ryan White (3rd Round – 66th Overall – 2006)
• Yannick Weber (3rd Round – 73rd Overall – 2007)
• Charles Hudon (5th Round – 122nd Overall – 2012)
• Victor Mete (4th Round – 100th Overall – 2016)
• Michael Pezzetta (6th Round – 160th Overall – 2016)
• Cayden Primeau (7th Round – 199th Overall – 2017)
• Jordan Harris (3rd Round – 71st Overall – 2018)
• Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (7th Round – 201st Overall – 2019)
• Joshua Roy (5th Round – 150th Overall – 2021)

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