Unless Kent Hughes pulls the trigger on a trade, the Montreal Canadiens will get to speak twice in the first round of the NHL draft on June 27. Thanks to the trade in which they acquired Sean Monahan in August 2022, they now hold the 16th overall pick, which previously belonged to the Calgary Flames, as well as their pick, the 17th overall.
Over the years, the Habs have selected 17th overall seven times. There were some hits, some misses, but there were also some players they should have held onto longer.
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The first time Montreal picked at number 17 was back in 1966; that year, the Sainte-Flanelle opted for centre Jude Drouin. The Murdochville, PQ native looked like a promising forward, and until he wore the Tricolore, he was a very productive player. In 1969-70 with the Montreal Voyageurs of the AHL, he recorded 106 points in 65 games. In the NHL, however, he was held off the scoresheet in three games after mustering only two assists in nine games the previous year, which prompted the Canadiens to trade him to the Minnesota North Stars for a player to be named later, who turned out to be Bill Collins. While he spent only 40 games with the Canadiens before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings, he was part of the package Montreal sent to the Wings to acquire Frank Mahovlich, so that we can count that one as a win.
In 1973, the Sainte-Flanelle picked Glenn Goldup with the 17th overall pick. A left-shot winger who was unable to crack a powerhouse Canadiens’ roster and would only play 18 NHL games in town before the Tricolore traded him alongside a third-round pick at the 1978 draft to the Los Angeles Kings for two picks, a third-round and a first-round one at the same draft. Those picks would turn into Moe Robinson and Danny Geoffrion, son of former legend Bernard Geoffrion and father of future Hab Blake Geoffrion. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, Boom Boom’s son didn’t possess his father’s talent and played only 111 games in the NHL, including 32 with Montreal.
That didn’t stop the Canadiens from betting on family genes when they drafted Dave Hunter at the 1978 draft. Dale and Mark’s brother elected to play in the WHA for the Edmonton Oilers, and stayed with them when they became an NHL team. Hunter played 746 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Winnipeg Jets, accumulating 323 points and winning three Stanley Cups. He was, however, the least productive of the three brothers, Mark wrapping up his career with 384 points and 1,428 penalty minutes, while Dale scored 1,020 points and 3,563 penalty minutes.
In 1983, the Canadiens picked Alfie Turcotte (father of Los Angeles player Alex Turcotte) with the 17th pick. They played part of three seasons in the NHL with the Habs with mixed results before they traded him for future considerations to the Edmonton Oilers. Less than a year later, they reacquired him for cash before trading him away a second time, to the Winnipeg Jets for future considerations. In the end, Turcotte played a total of 112 NHL games and picked up 46 points before heading overseas to continue his career.
Then, in 1987, Montreal selected Andrew Cassels with the 17th overall pick. The left-shot center then played a couple more dominating seasons in the OHL, posting 285 points in 117 games with the Ottawa 67’s. After that, he spent a year with the Sherbrooke Canadiens in the American Hockey League (AHL), accumulating 67 points in 55 games before advancing to the NHL for the 1990-91 season. In his only complete season in Montreal, he scored 25 points in 54 games. Then, in September, the Canadiens traded him to the Hartford Whalers for a 1992 second-round pick who turned into Valeri Bure. Cassels would go on to play 1015 NHL games, registering 732 points in the process.
In 1991, when the Quebec Nordiques selected Eric Lindros first overall, the New Jersey Devils selected Scott Niedermayer with the third pick, and the New York Rangers selected Alexei Kovalev at 15th overall, the Canadiens opted for 6-foot-4, 230-pound defenseman Brent Bilodeau. The supersized defenseman would go on to play 122 games with the Fredericton Canadiens in the American Hockey League (AHL). Bilodeau is the only first-round pick from that draft who never played a single NHL game; this one was truly a wasted selection.
Finally, in 2011, when Montreal last picked 17th, they chose left-shot defenseman Nathan Beaulieu. He wasn’t a bad pick and played 225 games with the Canadiens, gathering 60 points in the process. Then, in June 2017, Montreal traded him to the Buffalo Sabres in return for a third-round pick, which they used to select Scott Walford, who they never signed. As for Beaulieu, he went on to play 471 games in the NHL with the Sabres, Jets, and Anaheim Ducks before heading overseas to continue his professional career.
Just like with the 16th overall pick, the Canadiens have had mixed results with the 17th overall pick. They got their money’s worth with Drouin, who eventually landed him, Mahovlich, and Cassells were hands down their best pick, but they didn’t have the patience to wait for him to develop correctly.
Photo credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-Imagn Images
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