Even if Trevor Timmins was hired by the Habs 10 years before Marc Bergevin, the legacy of the two men is closely linked. Notably because of the friendship that unites them, but especially because of the lukewarm record of the Habs in the draft under the leadership of Bergevin.
The very first selection of the duo was that of Alex Galchenyuk, third in the 2012 draft. With 583 games played and 333 points in the season, the American remains one of the leaders of this vintage, but his actions out of the question. ice have undermined its passage in Montreal. The Arizona Coyotes, of which he is now a member, are his seventh team.
The following first-round picks, Michael McCarron (2013) and Nikita Sherbak (2014), both ended in failure. Neither has played 100 games in the NHL.
In fact, from the 2012 to 2016 draft, only Artturi Lehkonen, Jake Evans, Lukas Vejdemo and Michael Pezzetta are still in the organization.
Bergevin and Timmins, moreover, have often been criticized for the low number of Quebecers drafted. It was also in the last weeks of the Bergevin era that the Canadian, for the very first time in his history, played a match with no Quebecer in his team.
In fact, from 2012 to 2020, in nine repechage, the CH selected only seven players from the province. Only one, Charles Hudon, has played in the NHL. And only one, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, is now under contract with the team.
Again last fall, Timmins defended himself not to be biased against Quebec players, after he had chosen none in 2020, for the third time in five years.
The first half of Timmins’ stint in Montreal was far more prolific, as the club drafted future stars Carey Price, PK Subban, Ryan McDonagh, Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher, in addition to players who had strong impacts, for example Jaroslav Halak and Mark Streit, as well as less flamboyant players who have on the other hand had good careers in the NHL – Maxim Lapierre, Kyle Chipchura, Mikhail Grabovski, Alexei Emelin, Yannick Weber, Guillaume Latendresse …
Timmins, on the other hand, had a first slump from 2008 to 2010, while Brendan Gallagher, a pick of 5e round, was the only player drafted by the Habs to fully establish themselves in the NHL.
For now, the most promising prospects drafted by the organization are defenders Kaiden Guhle (2020), Jordan Harris (2018) and Jayden Strubble (2019). Among those who have tasted the NHL before, the names of forward Cole Caufield and defenseman Alexander Romanov top the list.