Goldthorpe
Meditating Guru
solid evidence? If they moved him up the list because he was french, this is exactly what you would expect to see. Did you think they would have his name at #1 highlighted with an asterix next to it? What does this solid evidence prove?
It proves that the habs were following a list and weren't simply swept away by the Bell Center reaction, like some have speculated. If another player above Leblanc had been available there is no reason to believe they wouldn't have picked him - unless you want to speculate your own conclusion.
Was he higher in their list because of his hometown? It's always a possibility, but since Leblanc was well liked in general during his draft year, it's pure speculation. In the recent past, the habs haven't exactly reached for french-canadian players very often, and when they do it, it's with later picks. There's no reason why it would have been the case for Leblanc.