While his small stature no doubt explains why he slid so late at the draft, the Canadiens have never been afraid to gamble on smaller-sized players when the talent is there. The Habs used a second-round pick in 1979 to draft 5-foot-7 Mats Naslund, who went on to score 243 goals with the Sainte-Flanelle over eight seasons, including two 40+-goal seasons. More recently, they also used the 15th overall pick at the 2019 draft to select 5-foot-8 Cole Caufield, who has led the team in goals for the last two seasons, and another second-round pick (the 62nd overall) at the 2022 draft to pick 5-foot-9 and reigning Calder Trophy winner blueliner Lane Hutson.
