The Ryan McDonagh Trade: The Positives It Brought The Montreal Canadiens

Ryan McDonaghwas once a Montreal Canadiens prospect. Did you know that? Did you know he was traded forScott Gomez(among other players)? If you didn’t, you’re about to hear about it a lot.

People look at the trade and can’t believe what the Canadiens, led byBob Gaineyand Pierre Gauthier were thinking. And in reality it turned out to be a horrible trade as McDonagh is someone who can help any team in the NHL. But there were some positives to the trade.

Let’s look at the Canadiens the day of the trade, back in July 2009. This was a team that collapsed in the second half of the season and got swept in four straight.Saku Koivu,Alex Tanguay,Alex KovalevandRobert Langwere all Unrestricted Free Agents. That was four of their top seven scorers.Mike Komisarekwas leaving as well.

They needed to rebuild and with a young nucleus that includedCarey Price,Max Pacioretty, the Kostitsyn brothers,Tomas Plekanecand others, they knew they needed to add veterans and change the culture.

Imagine going into free agency with your leading scorers beingAndrei Markov,Andrei Kostitsynand Plekanec. After that your best bets for scoring came fromMaxim Lapierre,Guillaume LatendresseandChris Higgins. That’s not inspiring for veterans. It meant make a splash, or lead to a long rebuild.

By acquiring Gomez – who was actually pretty good in his first two seasons in Montreal – he had a chance to speak to his good friendBrian Giontato sign with Montreal. Later that day,Jaroslav Spacek,Hal GillandMike Cammallerialso signed.

It was a changing of the guard. And it all started with the Gomez trade that sent McDonagh to the Rangers along with Chris Higgins for Gomez andTom Pyatt.

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

It led to the fantastic 2010 run. Watch those highlights. Gomez was fantastic. He was also good in 2011 when they lost to the Boston Bruins in 7. While it was mostly smoke, mirrors andJaroslav Halak, it was a fantastic ride. It brought back a certain vibe to the city and the team.

I’m about to get a little theoretical, so bare with me.

Imagine that 2010 run didn’t happen. We’d probably still be talking about Carey Price and Halak. Or worse: Price would have been the one traded. We’d be looking for someone likeLars Eller… AndAlex Galchenyuk. Who knows how far down this team would have ended up. Instead of a temporary blip in last place after the 2011-2012 season, it could have been a lot worse.

Imagine if McDonagh wasn’t traded.Nathan Beaulieuwould probably not be a Canadien. With depth on the blue line, it’s not out of the question the Canadiens would have gone with a forward in the 2011 Draft, say, Tyler Biggs in that spot. You know, because he’s big.

Without that 2010 run, the Canadiens would have never proven that skill beats size in the playoffs. Heck, people still aren’t sure that they can win with their small forwards.

So yes, McDonagh would look really good in a Canadiens uniform. But look at where we are. The Canadiens without McDonagh – or Gomez, or Cammalleri, or Halak – are facing the Rangers. The exact same spot. The exact same time.

The young core didn’t develop the way everyone thought it would. The Kostitsyn brothers are gone. Neither did Lapierre or Latendresse. For that matter, neither did Higgins. Pacioretty did. Price has.P.K. Subbandeveloped into a star as well.David Desharnaiscame out of nowhere. Gomez’s buddy Gionta is the team’s captain and has become an indispensable piece of this team.

So yes, the trade was a bad one. But it wasn’t a franchise-crippling move. It led to the rebirth of the Canadiens post-Koivu. It allowed them to reload instead of rebuild.

So yes, Ryan McDonagh was a Montreal Canadiens prospect. And yes, he’s a great player. But the Canadiens are still kicking. They are one of four teams remaining in the Stanley Cup Playoffs waiting for Game 1 at the Bell Centre. Is there any place else you’d rather be?

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