Hockey history has taught us that even the most promising prospects sometimes fail to live up to the hype. In the case of the Montreal Canadiens, the team has seen its fair share of expected studs turn out to be duds.
From highly touted draft picks to one-hit-wonder rookie seasons, Habs fans have often jumped the gun on the potential of young players.
With that in mind, here are seven players we once had high hopes for.
7) Nikita Scherbak
Taken 26th overall by the Canadiens in the 2014 draft, Russian winger Nikita Scherbak appeared to have all the makings of a future NHLer.
Netting 78 points in 65 WHL games in the season of his draft year, Sherbak wrapped up his junior tenure with a career-high 82 points the following season.
And while he proved able to produce at the AHL level, earning multiple call-ups to Montreal from 2016 to 2018, Scherbak simply couldn’t make it happen at the NHL level.
His Habs tenure ended in December 2018 after the Los Angeles Kings claimed him off waivers.
He made his way to the KHL in 2019 and has remained in Europe ever since.
6) Jacob de la Rose
Jacob de la Rose is one name Canadiens fans probably haven’t heard in quite some time.
Serving as Sweden’s captain during the 2015 World Juniors, de la Rose once held the potential to become a dependable top-six winger.
Taken 34th overall in the 2013 draft, the 6-foot-3 forward spent parts of four seasons with Montreal, but never lived up to expectations.
In 119 career games with the Canadiens, he has just eight goals and 19 points. Due to his lack of production, de la Rose was eventually put on waivers, claimed by the Detroit Red Wings, and later traded to the St. Louis Blues.
Heading back to Europe in 2021, the Sweden native most recently played in Switzerland’s National League.
5) Michael McCarron
Once upon a time, Michael McCarron was set to become the big two-way centre that could help get the Habs to the promised land.
Selected by Montreal in the first round (No. 25) in the 2013 NHL Draft, the productive forward netted 68 points in 55 games in his final OHL season to help Oshawa win the Memorial Cup while being named to the tournament’s All-Star Team.
While he put up a respectable 38 points in his first run with the St. John’s Ice Caps in the AHL, his first two Canadiens call-ups saw him net just six points over 49 games.
In his final two seasons with the Habs, McCarron spent his time in Laval without earning an NHL nod. He was eventually traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Laurent Dauphin.
During his recent stint with Nashville, he set a career-high with 22 points in 70 games.
4) Zach Fucale
Drafted in the prime of Carey Price’s career, many saw Zach Fucale as the future of Montreal’s crease.
Riding multiple solid seasons in the QMJHL and leading Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2015 World Juniors, Fucale was seen as a promising goalie prospect.
Unfortunately, the 36th overall pick in the 2013 Draft never got the chance to don the bleu, blanc, rouge.
What followed was multiple disappointing AHL and ECHL campaigns. Since leaving the Habs as a free agent in 2018, Fucale bounced around the NHL before joining the Washington Capitals.
The Rosemere, Quebec native finally made his NHL debut on November 11, 2021, registering a 21-save shutout with Washington.
He joined KHL team Traktor Chelyabinsk ahead of the 2023-24 season.
3) Terry Ryan
When the Canadiens drafted forward Terry Ryan eighth overall in 1995, many were expecting him to become a top NHL talent.
And for a while, he looked to be on the right track.
Coming off a 110-point WHL campaign in his draft year, Ryan continued to put up good numbers in junior. That trajectory continued when he joined the Fredericton Canadiens (Montreal’s former farm team) where he was named Rookie of the Year in 1998.
Despite his status as a highly skilled prospect, he appeared in just eight NHL games across three seasons with Montreal.
He never managed to record a point and suffered an ankle injury in 2001 that ultimately ended his career.
2) Ryan Poehling
Perhaps the most interesting entry on this list, Ryan Poehling still has fans wondering ‘what could have been?’
Selected 25th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Minnesota naitve was seen as a promising centre with a well-rounded game. And he backed it up with some solid play.
His standout performance at the 2019 World Juniors, where he scored a hat trick in the gold medal game for Team USA, continued to fuel high expectations for Montreal fans.
Then, Poehling made an immediate impact with a memorable three-goal game in his Habs debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019.
However, in the seasons that followed, he struggled to maintain consistency and carve out a permanent spot in the lineup. Despite flashes of his potential, Poehling spent significant time in the AHL and struggled with injuries.
Poehling was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022 and currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers.
1) Louis Leblanc
Louis Leblanc was the Canadiens’ first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, selected 18th overall.
Boosting an impressive QMJHL career with the Montreal Juniors, Leblanc was expected to become a hometown hero and key player for the Habs for years to come.
But despite a promising start with the Hamitlon Bulldogs, his NHL career never fully materialized. The centre spent much of his time bouncing between the NHL and AHL before eventually leaving North America for European leagues.
Leblanc netted 10 points throughout 50 NHL games.
In 2016, the Pointe-Claire, Quebec native ended his hockey career and returned to his studies at Harvard University.
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