George McPhee's decision changed the Montreal Canadiens forever

In return, the Habs got an NHL player in Tomas Tatar, a top prospect in Nick Suzuki, and a 2nd round pick in 2019.

While Tomas Tatar has had some good times in Montreal, he was what can commonly be called a salary drop in this trade. By far, it was Nick Suzuki who proved to be the key piece for the Tricolore in this trade.

Almost four years to the day, the CH number 14 was named captain of the Habs, replacing to fill the big shoes left by Shea Weber. It must be said that the latter has not ceased to impress since his arrival in Montreal.

However, the deal that brought Suzuki to the Canadiens could have been completely different. You may not know it, but Suzuki was not the player Marc Bergevin was targeting in return for Pacioretty. His main target was another prospect, forward Cody Glass.

The 6'3 206 lb big centre was the 6th overall selection in the 2017 draft by Vegas.

At the time, George McPhee, the Golden Knights GM at the time, adamantly refused to involve him in a trade and so offered Suzuki's name to compensate. At the time, there was absolutely no indication that Glass would slow down significantly in his development and that Suzuki would explode a few years later.

Now, there is no doubt that this decision must continue to cause serious nightmares for the Nevada organization even today, especially since the Knights literally gave the former number 67 of the Canadiens to the Hurricanes, for absolutely nothing in return.

A few years later, Nick Suzuki now has 63 goals and 172 points in 235 games with the Montreal Canadiens. And the captain has shifted into a second gear in his development this season, with 14 goals and 29 points in just 26 games so far.

As for Cody Glass, he is now with the Nashville Predators organization and is still trying to establish himself as a regular player in the NHL. This season he has 1 goal and 3 points in 14 games.

It has to be said that this trade changed the Habs forever, as they found their undisputed leader for many years to come and possibly one of the best two-way centre players in the NHL.

We should certainly take the time to thank George McPhee for changing the face of the Tricolore for many years with his decision!

Credit: HabsolutelyFan