The Canadiens almost drafted a star player instead of Andrei Kostitsyn in 2003, and the identity of this player has just been revealed
In the last few minutes, on the BPM Sports channel, the excellent journalist Richard Labbé has revealed some interesting information.
During the historic 2003 NHL draft, one of the most talented drafts in history, the Montreal Canadiens selected Andrei Kostitsyn with the 10th overall pick.
They chose him over players like Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Burns, Corey Perry, and, of course, Patrice Bergeron.
According to Labbé, the Canadiens were seriously considering two players: Kostitsyn and... Jeff Carter!
Imagine how things could have been different for Montreal if they had chosen Carter, who has been a solid number-one center for over a decade!
Carter, 38 years old, accumulated 30 points last season in 2023 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has amassed 836 points (431 goals) in 1249 career NHL games.
He added 84 points (47 goals) in 133 playoff games.
Kostitsyn, 38 years old, is no longer playing hockey and left the NHL in 2012, over 10 years ago. He gathered 222 points (103 goals) in 398 career NHL games.
He added 23 points (14 goals) in 49 playoff games.
It's safe to say that Carter had a much more impressive career and could have been a significant asset to the Montreal Canadiens for a long time.
Let's remember that he is also a big 6-foot-3 center.
They were hesitating between Carter and Kostitsyn. Well, obviously, they didn't make the right choice."
Carter was a star player for several seasons, including a campaign with almost 50 goals.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that the Canadiens would have won a Stanley Cup with Jeff Carter? | ||
| Yes | 152 | 32.3 % |
| No | 318 | 67.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
