During the 2016 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens, under the leadership of Marc Bergevin, selected defenseman Mikhail Sergachev with the 9th overall pick. Nearly a year later, the general manager traded Sergachev to acquire Jonathan Drouin, a move widely regarded as his worst transaction.
Despite this misstep, Bergevin has made several astute moves, including trading Max Pacioretty for Nick Suzuki, among others, and drafting Cole Caufield. In fact, both Suzuki and Caufield are currently the Canadiens' most valuable assets in terms of trade value.
The Athletic recently released a top 100 list of players with the highest trade value in the NHL. Caufield is ranked 62nd, while Suzuki is at 78th. Interestingly, they are both surpassed by Mikhail Sergachev, who sits at the 52nd position.
In hindsight, it's easy to say that the Sergachev-Drouin trade had a negative impact on the Canadiens. Just imagine the defensive lineup today with the 2016 first-round pick. The team would have had a formidable blue line, potentially featuring Martin St-Louis.
The top 3 players on the list are no surprise, with Connor McDavid, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon taking the lead.
