How Halak (Eventually) Landed Laine For The Canadiens

The 2009-10 season was a magical one for the Montreal Canadiens. It was a special year, the one in which the team celebrated its centennial, the first NHL team to do so. Special jerseys, the unveiling of the Ring of Honour, and a centennial game against the Boston Bruins, which the Habs won 5-1.

Still, it wasn’t an easy season. GM Bob Gainey had made significant changes during the offseason, trading for Scott Gomez with the New York Rangers` and then letting long-standing captain Saku Koivu and enigmatic sniper Alexei Kovalev walk in free agency. On July 1, he signed a slew of free agents; Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and now New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche all arrived. Paul Mara and Travis Moen signed on July 10.

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Patrice Brisebois retired, Mathieu Schneider left for a second time, and Alex Tanguay signed elsewhere in August, just like Francis Bouillon. With that spectacular lineup overhaul, it took some time to build chemistry, and the Canadiens barely made the playoffs. However, once they were in, they inflicted severe damage.

On the back of ninth-round selection Jaroslav Halak, the Canadiens dispatched the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin in the first round, and Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, both series needed seven games. But Montreal then lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final. Still, an idol was born for Montrealers, and those playoffs became known as the “Halak Spring”.

Still, the Slovak goaltender wasn’t the chosen one and on June 17, 2010, GM Pierre Gauthier traded Halak to the St. Louis Blues for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. Gauthier called it a “big picture” decision, betting on the long-term potential of fifth-overall pick Carey Price, but fans were shaken. Canadian member of Parliament Justin Trudeau even chimed in, saying in the House of Commons, “What? Halak for two hockey sticks and a bag of magic beans?”.

At the time, I lived in London, England, and I remember emerging from the Tube only to receive a trade notification on my cell phone, which prompted a few choice words, not only from me but from a fellow commuter. We struck up a conversation about the deal and drowned our sorrows over a pint at the nearest pub. Little did we know that the trade, which at the time seemed lopsided, would bring dividends for years and ultimately lead to Kent Hughes striking a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 offseason.

It took some time, but one of the assets acquired in the Halak trade proved to be a valuable asset. It wasn’t Ian Schultz who never played a single game in the NHL and ended his career playing for the Edinburgh Capitals of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom, a league that once included the London Knights, the team that helped me through hockey droughts at times during my eight years in London. Still, the level of play was nowhere near the NHL’s.

The other player, however, Lars Eller, evolved into a great two-way center who skated with the Canadiens until he was traded to the Capitals for two draft picks. He went on to win a Stanley Cup with them. The 58th overall pick in the 2017 draft, which was used to select Joni Ikonen, a center who never came over to this side of the pond. The 62nd overall pick in the 2018 draft was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for two additional draft picks in the same year.

The fifth-round pick was used to select Samuel Houde, who spent some time in the AHL and the ECHL before joining the Sierre HC in the Swiss league. As for the third-round pick, it became Jordan Harris, a blueliner who would sign with the Canadiens after spending four years in the NCAA with Northeastern University.

Harris spent three seasons with the Canadiens, but with a blueline full of promising young defensemen, he was used by Kent Hughes to acquire sniper Patrik Laine and a second-round pick at the 2026 draft.

Whatever happens with Laine this upcoming season, I think it’s safe to say the Halak trade wasn’t that bad in the end, it’s still paying off today, and we won’t know until next June what that second-round pick will become.

It’s wild to think that after Halak announced his retirement yesterday, his trade three is still going strong and could still deliver another impact piece for the Canadiens, after all, Lane Hutson was a second-round pick, so it’s possible to find hidden (or not so hidden, and just diminutive in size) gems in that round.