Bergevin vs Gorton: Draft Day Trades

By Bob Trask – With 14 picks in the upcoming draft there is a lot of speculation regarding potential trades involving those picks, specifically moving up in the draft. We can take a look at how the Canadiens approached draft day trades under Bergevin and compare it to any trades that occurred with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers under Jeff Gorton. It’s not a perfect comparison but if you believe that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton share a vision, then it is a fair one.

Marc Bergevin at the Draft

2013 draft – 2013 7th round pick for the Panthers 2014 7th round pick.
2014 draft – 2014 3rd round pick and 2014 4th round pick for Coyotes 2014 3rd round pick.
2015 – No draft day trades
2016 – Lars Eller traded traded to Capitals for 2017 2nd round pick and 2018 2nd round pick
2016 – 2016 2nd round pick and 2016 2nd round pick from Wild traded to Black Hawks for Andrew Shaw.
2016 – 2017 7th round pick for the Jets 2016 7th round pick.
2017 -2018 7th round pick to Flyers for 2018 7th round pick
2018 – 2018 4th round pick (from Oilers) to Sharks for 2018 4th round pick (from Golden Knights) and 2018 5th round pick (from Panthers)
2018 – 2019 7th round pick to Flyers for 2018 7th round pick
2018 – 2018 5th round pick to Black Hawks for 2019 5th round pick
2019 – 2019 2nd round pick to Kings for 2019 3rd round pick and 2019 5th round pick
2019 – 2019 4th round pick to Sharks for 2020 4th round pick
2019 – 2019 5th round pick to Panthers for 2020 5th round pick
2019 – 2020 7th round pick to Flyers for 2019 7th round pick
2020 – No draft day trades
2021 – No draft day trades

Some of the names chosen with the picks that Montreal traded include Mackenzie Weegar, Michael Bunting, Olivier Rodrigue, Alex DeBrincat, Samuel Fagemo.

Some of the names drafted by Montreal with picks acquired in trades at the draft table include Cayden Primeau, Jordan Harris, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Mattias Norlinder, Jakub Dobes

It is interesting to note that the only time the Canadiens moved up in the draft under Marc Bergevin was in 2014 when the Canadiens traded a 3rd round pick and a 4th round pick to Arizona, subsequently drafting Brett Lernout with the #87 overall pick in the 3rd round.

The only time a 2nd round pick was involved in a draft day trade was when an established NHL player was part of the deal. No 1st round picks were traded by the Canadiens on draft day.

Jeff Gorton at the Draft

Jeff Gorton ran the 2006 NHL Draft for the Boston Bruins before moving on to the New York Rangers and becoming their GM, running the Rangers’ drafts from 2016 to 2020.

Boston Draft Day Trades

2006 – 2006 4th round pick and 2006 5th round pick (from Black Hawks) for 2006 3rd round pick
2006 – Andrew Raycroft traded to Maple Leafs for Tuuka Rask

New York Draft Day Trades

2016 – 2017 4th round pick to Avalanche for Nick Holden
2017 – Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Coyotes for Anthony DeAngelo and 2017 1st round pick
2017 – 2017 4th round pick (from Panthers) for 2017 4th round pick (from Predators) and 2017 6th round pick (from Sharks)
2018 – 2018 1st round pick (from Bruins) and 2018 2nd round pick (from Devils) to Senators for 2018 1st round pick
2018 – 2019 7th round pick (from Bruins) to Carolina for 2018 7th round pick (from Vegas)
2019 – No draft day trades
2020 – No draft day trades

Significant players acquired as a result of draft day trades include Brad Marchand, Tuuka Rask, Anthony DeAngelo, Lias Andersson and K’Andre Miller. Some of the names chosen with draft picks Gorton traded include Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonathan Tychonik.

Gorton traded up in the draft with both the Bruins and the Rangers allowing him to draft Brad Marchand, Lias Andersson and K’Andre Miller.

As can be seen by the Tuuka Rask trade, Gorton didn’t limit his activities to only trading picks on draft day. This list only includes draft day trades. Gorton also acquired Jacob Trouba from the Jets a few days before the draft in exchange for Neil Pionk and a 1st round pick (Ville Heinola)

Contrasting Styles

Bergevin seemed to play around the edges at the draft often preferring to trade down to a later round or out to a later year. Most of his deals fell into the later rounds of the draft. Gorton’s moves were less frequent but bolder. While Bergevin emphasized quantity over quality and relied on his scouts to find a diamond in the rough, Gorton made several trades involving 1st round picks in an effort choose a player he valued.

Looking Forward

Habs fans can look forward to an exciting couple of days at the draft. If Kent Hughes follows the Gorton model perhaps the Canadiens will use their currency of picks to move up at the draft table. It would be a change in philosophy from the approach taken by previous management. From all the chatter that is floating around in the media, it certainly seems to be the case.

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