Let's take a step back to the 2013 NHL Draft. The Montréal Canadiens, who had finished the previous season with a loss in the conference finals, had the 25th overall pick. At 25th overall, the Canadiens drafted Michael McCarron. The 6'6 forward was the Canadiens' way of combating a heavy and hard-hitting Eastern Conference. However, at 26th overall, the Anaheim Ducks drafted Shea Theodore. Theodore, a puck-moving defender, may not have been the answer to physicality, but he could have been the answer to a stronger blueline with Carey Price behind it.
The Michael McCarron outcome
Drafting McCarron at 25th fit the Canadiens' plan at the time. Looking to get bigger and more physical, the team opted for size over skill. McCarron was likened to Milan Lucic, a strong, aggressive forward. As a forward for the U.S. National Development Team, McCarron didn't put up a ton of offense. He did, however, rack up over 200 penalty minutes across his two seasons with the team.
McCarron didn't make the jump to the NHL until 2015, and he played most of that season with the Canadiens' AHL team. The 2016-17 season was McCarron's most games with the Canadiens, playing 31 games with the club. He had five points that season and 76 hits. He returned to the AHL for the next few seasons until he was traded to the Nashville Predators in the 2019-20 season. McCarron's career with the Habs was mired with injuries and flip-flopping between the NHL and AHL. The Canadiens got Laurent Dauphin in return, who played one year with the organization before going to Arizona.
During his time with the Canadiens, the team only made the playoffs once, losing in the first round. Since leaving the team McCarron has improved.
One of the Canadiens' biggest franchise blunders was never managing to win a cup in the Carey Price years. What could have been if the Habs had opted for the elite puck-moving defender Shea Theodore, rather than selecting McCarron?
Like with any of these predictions, we can't know what would have been. However, the Canadiens could have used the player that Theodore turned out to be. Theodore made the jump to the NHL in 2015 and was playing more games in the NHL than the AHL by 2016-2017. With the expansion draft looming, the Ducks traded Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights to head off any other players being taken in the draft. Theodore rose to the occasion, putting up over 40 points a season and winning the Stanley Cup with Las Vegas in the 2022-23 season. He also made his Olympic debut with Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Although he isn't the most physical player, having the skill, speed, and scoring addition of Theodore could have been the difference that got the Canadiens into the playoffs, and could still be paying off for them long after the Carey Price years.
Instead, the Canadiens no longer have McCarron or the player they got for him by trading him away.
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