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HABS NEWS | Bergevin Upgrades Fourth Line, What’s Next?

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Canadiens GM Bergevin Upgrades 4th Line With  Thompson, Weise. What’s Next? Improvements to the Habs Power-play, Defence as Trade Deadline Approaches?

Marc Bergevin (Photo by TVA Sports)

by Blain Potvin, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

The NHL trade deadline can make or break the Habs retool plan. As the wise Admiral Ackbar once said, “It’s a trap!”

The Canadiens have exceeded the expectations of many this season. The team has been using speed and superb goaltending to not only land a wildcard spot, but to compete with Toronto and Boston to host a playoff round. The Habs now have a team that features puck movement and an entertaining brand of hockey.

At this point, Marc Bergevin must find a balance of future plans versus present needs. He must decide on whether to pay the price for top players to fill long term holes or find low cost depth adds.

While rebuilding is ahead of schedule, it’s my opinion that Bergevin should not be swinging for the fences at the deadline. 

In searching for a solution for the power-play, Bergevin has been reticent to look outside the organization as he has said that problem is in the locker room. With Jesperi Kotmaniemi’s recent addition to the top wave as a shooter on the right half wall, it adds another threat opening up lanes for Shea Weber’s one-timer. While the new look power-play has had some limited success, it’s ineffectiveness against Toronto was clearly a major factor in the overtime loss.

“Eventually he’s going to be playing against those top lines.”

Kotkaniemi may be the solution on the offensive front, as he has been proven capable of taking on a larger role. Claude Julien said it best in the Super Bowl Sunday post-game press conference, “I think the way he’s playing, it’s important for me to find him some ice time. But I’m still, and I’m being honest, I’m still a guy that doesn’t really want to put him against the other team’s top line because of the experience. That’s it. Eventually he’s going to be playing against those top lines.”

The one move to watch to see just how much Bergevin is looking to the future vs present is what he does with Jordie Benn. He can choose to keep Benn as an own rental to fill the bottom-pairing defence role that he is playing now. Or, he can take advantage of the fact Benn is playing his best hockey as a Canadien to add more draft picks for the prospect pool. 

Trading Benn could provide a youthful defence in gaining playoff experience benefiting  player development. Moving Benn may seem like a downgrade, but it could add long term value. A mid-round pick, maybe one as a high as a third, has more value in the long term than keeping Benn.

This is where player development again plays a key role. Thankfully, there are players such as Brett Lernout who have been able to develop and who are available for recall that can adequately fill into that depth role vacated by Benn.

Lernout lacks the veteran savvy Benn provides, however, Lernout can provide enough quality defensive play for a third pairing role against third and fourth line opposition. Lernout can also add some ice time by playing on the penalty killing unit’s second wave.

One move that can give the roster an upgrade and not come at a heavy cost in a trade deadline market is an upgrade to the fourth line. Leaving the players in place that have led the resurgence is a vote of confidence. Another would be adding a steady and reliable fourth line that can reliably play eight to ten minutes allowing the top nine to regroup.

I thought that a good player to target would be the Panthers Riley Sheahan, a rental center that would be a large upgrade on Michael Chaput. Sheahan can provide the same level of faceoff abilities that Julien has relied on Chaput for while also adding speed, size and offensive ability to the line-up. Florida would likely be willing to shed his salary to save even more money from their budget to put towards next season’s salary structure.

But instead Bergevin added Nate Thompson from the Los Angeles Kings. Thompson is a pure rental becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The general manager’s other fourth line addition, Dale Weise, has one more year left on his contract after this one. Together, the cap hit for Thompson and Weise is $4 million. 

In my view, Thompson and Weise is a pretty solid upgrade over Chaput and Kenny Agostino. Granted Thompson isn’t very fast but he is a smart veteran who can make up for that against bottom six lines. Weise adds sandpaper and a net front presence.

As entertaining as this season has been, it’s important for the franchise’s long term chances at reaching contender status that Bergevin stay the course in this retool. This deadline is the time to play small ball. Swing for a single and add a small and inexpensive depth piece, if any is added at all, while putting the team in sights of a scoring position.

Patience with the draft and prospects will do much more to help push the team towards being a cup contender than taking the home run swing at this deadline.

Edited by Cate Racher, All Habs Hockey Magazine

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