Michael McCarron, all fans remember this 6-6-foot colossus that was selected in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. A slightly illogical choice, but the Habs' goal that year was to «grow» From there, McCarron, who is not a real first-round pick, had to deal with that pressure.
The 26-year-old was never able to take off in the NHL when he was looking for his identity as a hockey player. Before leaving the Montreal organization, he was in disarray, looking for himself as a player and did not understand what was going on. Luckily, the Laval Rocket hired a certain Joël Bouchard in 2018, which allowed «Big Mac» to find its way back.
Bouchard brought McCarron's game back to life, which he said was downright in disarray. But before he joined the club, the development of the players took a toll. McCarron made no bones about this in an interview with Simon-Olivier Lorange.
"Look at the Canadiens' record, it's not hard to see that development was not at its best. But the players also have their responsibilities, the blame does not rest with the organization. They're doing better today, but few of the Canadiens' draft players stay with the team!"
This is not a well-hidden secret, all specialists and amateurs are aware of this shortcoming. Yes, Bouchard changed the situation during his stay in Laval, but he is no longer here today. Jeff Gorton has a lot of work to do in this area (development). He should. At least, let's hope so!
