Vancouver Canucks: Redrafting the 2010 NHL Draft

Round 5 – 145th Overall

Original Pick: D Adam Polasek
New Pick: RW Brendan Gallagher (147th to MTL)
Honorable Mentions: D Dalton Prout (154th to CBJ), W Jesper Fast (157th to NYR), D Brandon Davidson (157th to EDM)

In the fifth round, the Canucks went for another defenseman: Adam Polasek. Another solid two-way defenseman, Polasek was a good pick. He later spent two and a half years with the Canucks’ AHL and ECHL affiliates, but failed to develop into an NHL player. In 2014, he returned to Europe.

The player Vancouver could have had instead is someone Jim Benning probably wouldn’t select if he was available this year. Brendan Gallagher is a 5-foot-9 forward who had 41 goals and 81 points in his draft year, but he also had 111 penalty minutes thanks to a lack of physicality and defensive ability. The Montreal Canadiens took a chance at him and it is really paying off today.

In his first full season in the NHL, the 2013-14 campaign, Gallagher recorded 19 goals and 41 points. The next year, he improved to 24 goals and 47 points. In 2015-16, Gallagher only had 19 goals and 40 points — his lowest total since 2013 — but he also played in just 53 games.

Today, Brendan Gallagher is an assistant captain for the Canadiens, and he shows point-per-game potential. He really got over his size issues by playing a gritty and fearless style, making him a role model for smaller players.

Next: Round 6