The NHL season is officially over, and as the Montreal Canadiens begin to prepare for the NHL Entry Draft, it is time to look back at the franchise’s top-five first-round picks. The Canadiens have a rollercoaster history when selecting players in the first round. There are far more misses than hits, but when they do hit, those players become icons in Montreal. Some were integral parts of Stanley Cup championship teams, some became inspirational leaders, and others rewrote the record books.
5. Saku Koivu
Coming off their Stanley Cup win in 1993, the Canadiens, with the 21st pick, selected a young Finnish centre, Saku Koivu, who was playing for TPS Turku in Finland. Koivu had just finished his first season with TPS Turku, where he scored three goals and added seven assists in 46 games. He spent the next two seasons with TPS Turku, making significant improvements offensively, recording 50 goals and 77 assists in 92 games before making the jump to the NHL. As a rookie, Koivu showed his star potential, finishing the season with 20 goals and 25 assists. His 45 points put him in fourth in rookie scoring, finishing fourth for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Over the next three seasons, despite dealing with multiple injuries, Koivu established himself as the future of the Canadiens, recording 157 points in 185 games. In September of 1999, following the departure of Vincent Damphousse, Koivu became the 27th captain in Canadiens history, and the first to be born in Europe. Koivu’s reign as captain would last until he departed the team in 2009, spanning 10 years, putting him in a tie with Jean Beliveau as the longest-serving captain in Canadiens history. Koivu spent 13 seasons with the Canadiens and ranks seventh in assists (450) and tenth in points (641) all-time for the franchise. However, his play on the ice does not tell the full story of what Koivu meant to the city. Koivu fought through a devastating eye injury and a cancer diagnosis during his tenure with the Canadiens, but after each setback, he returned stronger than ever. A true Canadiens great and one of the most beloved players in franchise history.
4. Steve Shutt
The Canadiens in the 1970s were a juggernaut. A team that included Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Ken Dryden, and many other Hall of Famers. In the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, the Canadiens added another integral piece, drafting Steve Shutt with the fourth overall pick. Shutt dominated in his final two years leading up to the draft, scoring 133 goals in 120 games. The goals did not come so easily for Shutt in his first two seasons with the Canadiens, netting just 23 in 130 games. However, in his third season, everything began to change.
After failing to hit the 20-goal mark in his first two seasons, Shutt set a then-personal best of 30, while adding 35 assists. Shutt improved on those numbers the next season, hitting a new career high of 45 goals, a new personal best that would last until the very next season. Shutt’s best season of his career came in the 1976-77 season, where he became the first left-winger in NHL history to hit the 60-goal plateau and the second Canadiens player to hit that mark. His 60 goals, 45 assists, and 105 points would all be his career-high single-season numbers, and he was named to the NHL First All-Star team. Shutt's career with the Canadiens spanned 13 seasons and ranks fifth in franchise history in goals (408), sixth in power play goals (90), and eighth in points (776). Shutt won five Stanley Cups and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993. He was an integral part of those Canadiens teams that dominated in the 70s and is one of the greatest goal scorers in franchise history.
3. Carey Price
The identity of the Canadiens during the late 2000s and 2010s was Carey Price. Montreal’s 2005 fifth overall pick was widely regarded as one of, if not the best, goalies of his generation. Price took a couple of seasons to adjust to the NHL, battling it out with Jaroslav Halak early on to see who would be the Canadiens' goalie, but after 2010, the net was his, and he would not relinquish it until he was forced to call it quits due to a knee injury. The Canadiens were not offensive juggernauts during Price’s tenure, and most of the team’s success during that period was largely due to number 31’s ability to steal games. No better example of that than the 2014-15 season.
One of the greatest goalie seasons in NHL history, the 2014-15 version of Price was like a video game character. Price led the NHL in wins (44), goals against average (1.96), save percentage (.933), and was second in the league in shutouts (9). Price took home the Vezina Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, and William M. Jennings Trophy during that season. Price was the sole reason why the Canadiens were competitive during his time with the franchise, with only one teammate (Alexei Kovalev) reaching 82+ points in a single season. The game plan was simple: try to get one goal, and Price will handle the rest. Despite having to retire early, Price is the all-time wins leader (361) and all-time games played leader by a goalie (712) in Canadiens history. He may not have a Stanley Cup like the other great Canadiens goalies, but he still stands alongside them as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
2. Bob Gainey
Before it was Guy Carbonneau and Nick Suzuki winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy, Bob Gainey was the original great defensive forward. The 1973 eighth overall pick, like Shutt, was a part of those teams in the 1970s that dominated the NHL. Gainey was never a huge point producer, but that was not his role. His career high in points was 47, which he set in the 1980-81 season. His job was to shut down the opposing team’s best player, something he did better than anyone else during his era.
The Frank J. Selke Trophy was first introduced during the 1977–78 NHL season, and the first recipient of the award was none other than Gainey. Gainey won the award for four consecutive seasons, with his last coming in the 1980–81 season. While never a big point producer in the regular season, that changed when the playoffs came around. Specifically, the 1978-79 playoff run, where he had six goals and 10 assists in 16 games. He helped the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. Gainey won five Stanley Cups as a player and played his entire NHL career as a member of the Canadiens. He sits behind just Henri Richard and Larry Robinson in the all-time Canadiens game played rankings (1160), and is second behind Carbonneau in shorthanded goals (20). Gainey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992 and goes down as one of the greatest defensive forwards in NHL history.
1. Guy Lafleur
The clear choice for the number one spot in the rankings, Guy Lafleur, is without a doubt the greatest first-round pick in Canadiens history. The Canadiens acquired the pick from the California Golden Seals at the NHL Amateur Draft a year prior, along with François Lacombe, for Montreal’s 1970 first-round pick and Ernie Hicke. After a disappointing season for the Golden Seals, finishing in last place, the Canadiens had their hands on the first overall pick and selected Lafleur. After a decent start to his NHL career, Lafleur became the superstar that he is known as today in his fourth season.
His point total jumped from 56 in 1973-74 to 119 in the 1974-75 season. It was the start of an incredible run that saw Lafleur reach the 100-point mark for six consecutive seasons. He became the first player in NHL history to record 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons. At the time, he was the fastest player to reach 1000 career points, doing so in 720 games. He has since been passed by Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bossy, Connor McDavid, Peter Stastny, and Jari Kurri. Lafleur's list of career achievements runs long. Two-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, three-time Art Ross Trophy winner, three-time Lester B. Pearson Award winner, to go along with his five Stanley Cups and Conn Smythe Trophy. He is the Canadiens' all-time leader in assists (728), points (1246), and game-winning goals (94). The 1998 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee is widely regarded as the greatest player to ever don the Canadiens sweater and was the easy selection for first on the list.
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