Habs management has been criticized a lot in recent years when it comes to draft picks and especially when it comes to first round picks. Fans often talk about the flops in the first rounds, but also about the lack of selection of Quebec players by the club's management.
In 2020, Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin had a chance to get their hands on a Quebec player with the 16th overall pick, as Hendrix Lapierre's name had yet to be called. The Canadiens' management saw otherwise and decided to draft a certain Kaiden Guhle. At the time, this decision was widely criticized by Habs fans, who saw a huge opportunity to get a talented local forward who could speak French. Lapierre's career would finally begin with Alex Ovechkin, as the Capitals finally got their hands on the French-speaking forward with the 22nd overall pick.
Lapierre quickly made his way into the big leagues, earning a spot in the Caps lineup in his first training camp, while Guhle returned to the junior ranks. Nothing to help the discontent of Canadiens fans, Lapierre scored his first career goal in his first NHL game.
Two years later, the tide has completely turned and fans have likely changed their tune about the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Kaiden Guhle is now part of the main defense pairing on the Habs, averaging over 20 minutes per game on the ice against opposing teams' best players. Cheered on by all his teammates, Guhle is a true veteran on the ice and has become an indispensable part of Montreal's defensive core.
Hendrix Lapierre, on the other hand, was demoted to the junior ranks after only 6 games with the big club and is now playing with the Capitals' school team where he has 16 points in 22 games this season.
Of course, even if the final decision was made by Marc Bergevin, Trevor Timmins must be commended for this move.
