On Friday morning, Marc Bergevin met with members of the media to discuss the Montreal Canadiens 2014-15 regular season and the post-season that followed. He answered questions, covering several subjects that both the fans and the media want answers to.
From the coaching staff to the number one centre position, the defensive core to the lack of scoring depth and abysmal powerplay, Bergevin put focus on the major points of the past season and looked to rectify his stance on some of the decisions made and the future of his team going forward.
Marc Bergevin Press Conference Sparks Outrage
Cutting Ties With Gonchar, Weaver, Malhotra
When asked about defenseman Sergei Gonchar, Bergevin stated that the speed of the game had caught up to the 41-year-old veteran, and indicated that it may be time to go with some “new blood”. Cutting ties with the Russian blue-liner, who was on the final year of his two year, $10 million contract signed with the Dallas Stars, the Canadiens save some money on the cap and now open up the speculation circus as to who will fill that hole. Nathan Beaulieu, who graduated full-time this season and played 64 games, should be considered a lock for next season. It also leaves fans wondering if it will be time for Jarred Tinordi to get his time to shine. The 6’6 big man has been patiently awaiting his turn and at the age of 23, it’s a wonder if he’ll ever get his shot, especially with Greg Pateryn getting a glimpse into the post-season madness before Tinordi.
The team will also be cutting ties with face-off specialist Manny Malhotra and depth defenseman Mike Weaver. Marc Bergevin did imply that there will be talks with both Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn, whom both shared good first round showings against the Ottawa Senators. Both forwards came to Montreal in separate trades from Buffalo.
Bringing Petry Back
When it comes to team moves in the off-season, no player got more spotlight than pending unrestricted free agent Jeff Petry, who was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline. Bergevin made it clear that their intentions was to retain the services of Petry and get him signed to another contract. Following their second round exit, Petry himself stated that he would love for nothing more than to come back to the Montreal Canadiens and be part of the bleu-blanc-rouge next season.
In 19 games with the Canadiens, Petry put up 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) while helping to solidify the top-4 defence. His stellar play at both ends of the ice also helped Alexei Emelin, who was allowed more space and freedom to lay out a big hit while his partner was more than capable of covering ground. Averaging a hair under 22 minutes per game, Petry added another dimension to a struggling powerplay and also gave the Canadiens a second pairing that was a force to be reckoned with. With some cap space saved after a few players have already been let go, and possibly a few more to come, Petry’s expected price tag of $5-6 million per year could be paid out by Bergevin.
Galchenyuk at Centre, Not an Option?
Drafted 3rd overall back in 2012, Alex Galchenyuk was the big centre that the Canadiens had been looking for and was expected to be the saviour of the team, down the middle. Three seasons later, the 21-year-old has yet to play in his natural position and instead has played the majority of his NHL career on the wing. The belief was that some day soon, Galchenyuk would be able to transition into the centre role and take over the team, in terms of offensive production. Unfortunately, there seems to be a reluctance there and nobody seems to understand why.
When asked about this topic, Marc Bergevin took an odd step away from his normal thought process, stating that Galchenyuk may never play centre for the Canadiens. A bizarre comment to make, as Bergevin himself has spent the last three seasons building up the belief that he’ll one day be that number one centre. However, this could also be seen as a negotiation tactic. Galchenyuk is up for a new contract as a restricted free agent, and Bergevin is no stranger to playing down one’s ability and importance to the team, as he did the exact same while signing defenseman P.K. Subban to his bridge contract.
Coaching Staff Not The Problem
The biggest collective groan of the presser came during the comments made about the coaching staff. Once again, Bergevin complimented his coaching staff, Michel Therrien included, pointing at the regular season record being a success, and the fight they put up in the post-season. A step down from last year’s playoffs that saw the team reach the Eastern Conference finals, Bergevin is not blowing up his team after losing to a good Tampa Bay team.
One aspect that Bergevin may want to change is the general direction of the powerplay. Finishing 23rd in the league, the Canadiens then went on to post the second worst man advantage in the post-season, embarrassing themselves by scoring just 3 goals on 55 opportunities, for a 5.6% efficiency rate. Given the personnel on the ice, it’s a wonder why their special teams have been so terrible, and it stems from the format, a predictable one. Once the shot from the point has been nullified, the play down low by both wingers is almost non-existent, while the front-of-the-net presence is inconsistent at best.
While a firing may not fix things, a change of mentality is desperately needed. The collapse in front of the net is something the coaching staff will need to work on and setting up the point shot needs to be an option and not the only solution. While Bergevin indicated that the current assistants will remain in place, he did not rule out the possibility of adding a “power play specialist” coach to his staff.
Managing Expectations
According to Bergevin, he made a trade for a centre while playing on his playstation and when he attempted to replicate the move in the real world, the opposing general manager hung up the phone. The joke was criticized heavily by the fans and received as “he isn’t trying” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As Bergevin stated, big, number one centremen do not grow on trees and the probability of landing one is slim to none. His example was Joe Thornton, a skilled centre that was shipped from Boston to San Jose, almost ten years ago. Ryan Kesler was shipped from Vancouver to Anaheim, but he came with a limited no trade clause, giving him the freedom to choose where he went.
For the Habs to convince another team’s general manager to trade them a big name player, they’d need to empty their prospect cupboards, possibly add a first round pick and a roster player. Perhaps another piece or two to make the numbers work. When it comes to prospects and picks, Bergevin loves building on the draft – despite trading away a few picks this season to bolster up his team for a playoff run. Prospects such as Charles Hudon, Mike McCarron, Sven Andrighetto and Nikita Scherbak are all interesting names, but trading any number of them would leave a black hole in the prospect pool, one that the Canadiens have spent a few years building up beautifully.
But managing expectations is just one of the many duties a general manager has to do, and it’s something that Marc Bergevin has done well. Now, the next step is to put the pieces together and build a proper Stanley Cup contending team, from the goaltender to the top-6, and limit the excuses made after the playoffs are done. It’s time for Bergevin and the Canadiens to take that next step.
