Okay, Wayne Gretzky probably doesn’t speak French. But his birthplace (Brantford, Ontario) is only 6.5 hours away from Montreal. Close enough. We’ll hire him a French tutor and everything will be fine. Gretzky would be the best center in the history of the Montreal Canadiens. Given their history, that says a lot.
The Habs desperately need a franchise center. They traded for Jonathan Drouin, who they thought would be one. Even though it has only been one season, it’s painfully obvious he isn’t one. Gretzky would immediately give them an elite center — arguably the best one of all-time.
As I mentioned earlier, The Great One’s physical tools weren’t overwhelming compared to his peers. But Gretzky was extremely intelligent. And in today’s game, he would love skating around without having to worry about goons dishing out cheap shots.
Gretzky is one of the rare talents who could immediately make any team a Stanley Cup contender. Imagine Brendan Gallagher or Max Pacioretty playing with him. Heck, imagine if a guy with Artturi Lehkonen’s potential played with Gretzky.
The Great One was able to be a fit in a league with rules that didn’t help his game. Today’s rules would give Gretzky free reign to dominate.