Sitting at his table at the amateur draft back in 2005, having to select fifth overall, Bob Gainey has his plan of action. His target? Benoit Pouliot, a 6’2″ French-Canadian winger who just finished his rookie season with the Sudbury Wolves with 67 points including 29 goals in 67 games. However, the Minnesota Wild picks him just ahead of the Canadiens… who then have to go to plan B: Carey Price.
Pouliot returned to the Wolves where he collected 65 points, 35 of them goals, in only 51 games. He then struggled to bring his game to the next level, going back and forth between Houston and Minnesota for the next 3 years, before being traded to the Canadiens on November 23, 2009 for Guillaume Latendresse. We know the rest. Pouliot finished the season strong collecting 15 goals in 39 games for the Habs, playing on a line with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta.
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