For many, the dismissal of Trevor Timmins was greeted with even more joy than that of his boss, Marc Bergevin.
Timmins alienated a large fringe of Canadiens fans among other things because he was criticized for his lack of interest in Quebec players.
His decision to set his sights on David Fischer in the first round in 2006, a few rows ahead of Claude Giroux, a choice that still haunts him, marked the spirits, with good reason.
We will return shortly to his reign, punctuated by ups and downs, to resolve the issue that most torments his detractors.
Despite the perceptions, in 19 draft, from 2003 to 2021, Timmins drafted 24 Quebecers or francophones. He chose 31 Americans, a pool much richer, and larger, than that of Quebec, and favored by regulations that encourage the selection of NCAA players.
Brilliant beginnings
Now, his reign, which we could analyze in three stages: a brilliant start, with bursts like Price, Streit, McDonagh, Pacioretty, Subban, a long crossing of the desert between 2008 and 2015, and a period, more recent, which, without being grandiose, could leave an interesting legacy to the successors of Marc Bergevin.
We can add to this group Guillaume Latendresse who, if his career had not been compromised by concussions, would have become a power forward with 25 goals and more in the NHL. He reached that mark in just 55 games at 23 when he joined the Minnesota Wild.
In five drafts, between 2003 and 2007, Timmins drafted 17 players who have played at least 300 NHL games. It’s huge.
The choices of Carey Price, one of the best goalkeepers of his time, and one of the greatest in the history of the Canadiens, Max Pacioretty, eventual team captain, 306 career goals, and PK Subban , recipient of the Norris Trophy and bait in exchange for Shea Weber, Pacioretty’s successor as captain, allowed him to survive three reigns in 18 years. After being hired by André Savard in 2002, there were those of Bob Gainey, Pierre Gauthier and Marc Bergevin.
Crossing the desert
It got worse afterwards. True that Timmins drafted many times as of the 25e rank and was deprived of a first-round pick in 2008 and a second-round pick in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016 (the second-round pick in 2010 served to advance a few ranks to choose Jarred Tinordi), but that doesn’t excuse such a low harvest.
Between eight drafts, between 2008 and 2015, only Brendan Gallagher, Artturi Lehkonen, Jake Evans, Alex Galchenyuk and Nathan Beaulieu became regulars in the NHL. Trevor Timmins could have lost his job at the end of this period when no one would have cried murder.
The most recent version
The most recent period, one that could help improve its balance sheet, and in which Timmins enjoyed a much larger number of picks, is still too difficult to assess. It will take a few more years to properly analyze these vintages.
The year 2016 is the last year that is easy to assess. First pick Mikhail Sergachev, traded for Jonathan Drouin on the cusp of his NHL career, has become a mainstay with the Lightning. Ironically, two of the three best defensemen of this winning team of the two most recent Stanley Cups were drafted by the CH.
The players of 2017 are just beginning to define their careers. Ryan Poehling, a flop in the eyes of some last year, scored four goals in his first ten games despite limited usage time in the fourth line. He has as many as the other three centers on the team, Nick Suzuki, Christian Dvorak and Jake Evans. Cayden Primeau remains an interesting project in goal.
It is even more premature to analyze the 2018 vintage.
Kotkaniemi has fun
Jesperi Kotkaniemi is lost forever. He doesn’t seem to have said his last word in Carolina, with three goals and four points in his last five games.
Second-round pick Alexander Romanov looks increasingly comfortable in defense. The 21-year-old has played 20 minutes or more in three of his last four games. But there will still be ups and downs before it reaches full maturity. If the trend continues, he could be a tough, mobile and reliable number four defender defensively.
Whether Jordan Harris will eventually play in Montreal or even have a great NHL career can’t be predicted yet. For now, the third-round pick remains one of the NCAA’s best defensemen and a player the Canadiens want to contract at all costs.
Jesse Ylonen has good offensive flair, and 11 points in 14 games for Laval, but it’s still too early to know if he’ll be able to establish himself in the NHL.
Two 2019 picks, Cole Caufield, 20, and defenseman Mattias Norlinder, 21, are in Montreal, with their ups and downs. Caufield has modest production this season after a big playoff, but he remains full of promise. Norlinder shows a few flashes, but looks set to return to Sweden shortly. We can hardly decide for the moment.
2020 top pick Kaiden Guhle is expected to become captain of the Canadian junior team. He also had an excellent training camp with the CH. Let the time do its work, as for the rest of the young people drafted in 2020 and 2021.
Better supervision, and a better development system, will certainly help the current hopefuls not to get lost in the Montreal nights, and to follow training programs specific to their development as hockey players, in order to maximize their performance.
A redesign of the group of team managers, including obviously Trevor Timmins, was necessary to start again on new bases.
Timmins is not as good as its biggest defenders believe, but it is not as bad as the assessment of its fiercest critics.
Wings rookies are popular!
Cole Caufield was expected in a possible race for the Calder Trophy which would have gone to the rookie par excellence, Trevor Zegras, of the Anaheim Ducks, but they are eclipsed for now by two rookies from the Detroit Red Wings, Lucas Raymond and defender Moritz Seider. A survey of NHL.com analysts places Raymond and Seider among the favorites. Raymond, just 19, has 21 points in 22 games. Seider has 14 in 22 games, in addition to playing 20 minutes per game. But wait, Zegras, Bowen Byram and company may not have said their last word!