Some NHL players are late bloomers.
And in the case of the Montreal Canadiens, the team has reaped the benefits of taking a gamble on underperforming players over the years. Such is the case with Paul Byron, Phillip Danault, and Jeff Petry, who all hit their stride with the Habs later in their careers.
Other times, though, Montreal has regretted not playing the waiting game, losing out on some major talents as a result.
With that said, here are five players that excelled after they left Montreal.
Rod Langway
On September 9, 1982, the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens made a blockbuster trade.
To Washington: Rod Langway, Doug Jarvis, Craig Laughlin, and Brian Engblom.
To Montreal: Ryan Walter and Rick Green.
While Green and Walter were decent acquisitions for the Habs, nobody could predict the impact Langway would have on the Capitals franchise.
Following eight consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, Washington experienced a significant turnaround once the young defenceman joined the team. During his 11-year tenure with the Capitals, they qualified for the postseason every single year. As a result of the trade, Langway was named captain, a role he held until his retirement.
The two-time Norris Trophy winner was also elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
Chris Chelios
Known as one of the greatest defencemen to play the game, Chris Chelios got his start with the Canadiens.
The American d-man began to elevate his game during the Habs’ run to the Stanley Cup victory in 1986. However, in 1990, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for centre Denis Savard.
While Savard would fizzle out of Montreal after only three seasons, Chelios won two of his three Norris trophies with the Blackhawks, becoming their captain in 1995.
Later, Chelios went on to join the Detroit Red Wings and win two more Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008. He finally retired from the league after 26 seasons, tying Gordie Howe’s record for the most in NHL history.
John LeClair
A prominent forward in Montreal during the early ’90s, John LeClair showed promise in his first few seasons with the Habs.
However, after he was traded along with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the Philadelphia Flyers for Mark Recchi in 1995, LeClair really blossomed.
In Philly, LeClair formed a legendary partnership with Eric Lindros, becoming one of the most dominant scoring duos in the league. He reached the 50-goal mark for three consecutive seasons and solidified his status as one of the premier power forwards in NHL history.
Ryan McDonagh
Although defenceman Ryan McDonagh never played a game with the Canadiens, who drafted him 12th overall in 2007, he turned out to be much better than expected.
In 2009, Montreal traded the prospect along with Chris Higgins, Pavel Valentenko, and Doug Janik, to the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt, and defenceman Michael Busto.
Montreal lost the deal by a landslide. Meanwhile, McDonagh quickly emerged as one of the league’s top blueliners.
To add insult to injury, the Rangers named him captain in 2014.
Mikhail Sergachev
No Habs fan could forget about this one ā even if they tried.
Despite Mikhail Sergachev looking great as a rookie defenceman, the Canadiens traded the Russian rookie to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Jonathan Drouin in 2017.
This swap undoubtedly favoured the Lightning, as Sergachev quickly established himself as a solid top-four defenseman. He also played an integral role in Tampa Bay’s dominant run to the Stanley Cup in 2020.
Meanwhile, Drouin just never seemed to find his footing in Montreal, leaving as a free agent in 2023.
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