If you have to bottom out before you are on your way to recovery, the Montreal Canadiens came perilously close to that state this past season. The team record was the third worst in the thirty team league, and as a dubious reward, they were picking third overall in the 2012 entry draft. The highest draft position for the club in decades.
It wasn't necessarily the best year to have such a poor record and high draft pick, although that story has yet to be written. Going into the past season, Sarnia Sting scoring star Nail Yakupov was the consensus top prospect, with some scouts feeling that his slightly younger and bigger linemate Alex Galchenyuk could pass him over the course of their second season together. That was not to be the case as Galchenyuk suffered a serious knee injury before the season even began, which had to be surgically repaired and necessitated a long rehab process. Another Russian born prospect playing in the CHL, Mikhail Grigorenko emerged to challenge Yakupov for number one status, but faded as the season went on. Mature Canadian defender Ryan Murray was in the mix for some time, playing ahead of his age group, but suffered some nagging injuries like Yakupov and didn't really close the gap. No one else really jumped out of the pack over the course of the season.
At the draft, Yakupov was first off the board as expected, the most dynamic offensive talent in the draft going to the Oilers. Columbus opted to take the safe route with the solid all round package offered by Murray. Montreal's choice came down to a trio of imports, Grigorenko who was starring in the QMJHL, and was the big offensive centreman they craved, Filip Forsberg, a talented Swedish winger with good size and character, or the solid two way centreman with the most offensive upside, but serious injury concern in Galchenyuk. Alex stood out at the NHL Combine testing held prior to the draft which alleviated most of those concerns and made the club feel confident in using their top pick on him.
He is a classic hockey brat, having followed his father, a journeyman pro player around from team to team, league to league, and country to country, growing up. The younger Galchenyuk has solid size, at 6-1, with close to a 200 pound frame, and growing. He has exceptional all round skills, great hockey sense, good skating, a quick hard shot, and is defensively responsible. Despite emigrating from Eastern Europe, he dominated US high school hockey in his single season at that level, leading to selection as the first overall pick in the 2010 OHL entry draft. Chosen by the Sarnia Sting, he was soon joined by Yakupov, and the two rookies tore up the league in 2010-2011. Alex's 83 points in 66 games that year as a 16 year old compared favorably with some other top grads of that league like Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Steven Stamkos, etc., all of whom went first or second overall in their respective draft year. Each of them moved quickly to the NHL and have excelled at that level. Galchenyuk may require an extra year at the junior level to make up for his season lost to injury, but the pedigree and the production so far in his career certainly justify his draft position.
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