By J.D. Lagrange, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

While there will soon be only two teams fighting for the prestigious Stanley Cup, Habs’ General Manager Marc Bergevin and his management team find themselves in decision mode, deciding on a plan for the off-season. While some decisions have already been made, telling unrestricted free agents Sergei Gonchar, Mike Weaver and Manny Malhotra that they won’t be back with the team next year, some tougher decisions are laying ahead.

PENTICTON, BC. – There is no denying that the team has had a great season but what will be remembered most is the exit at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lighting, an elimination which exposed a clear lack of scoring ability in the line-up made available to coach Michel Therrien. Bergevin knows that and he did try to address that need at the trade deadline but true to his mid to long term plan, he was not willing to overpay for a rental player. Some will argue that he was wrong in thinking that way, I happen to like the decision, as since he took over as GM, the team has a clear direction, and that’s to form a competitive team for years to come by developing its own young players.

It’s no secret that there are two priorities on Bergevin’s plate. Seeing how well Jeff Petry has played and what he brings to the team’s defense, signing him is likely number one on his list. The second priority is to sign restricted free agent Alex Galchenyuk, which shouldn’t be too hard to do.

First and foremost, Bergevin and his team will evaluate the roster’s needs based on the organisation’s depth chart, the available players in place, regular season and playoffs’ performances and the direction they deem necessary to take in order to remain a force for now and in the long run.

TEAM NEEDS

It is clear to see that the Canadiens don’t have enough scoring punch up front as beyond Max Pacioretty, there is a big gap when it comes to natural goals’ scorers. The Canadiens need a sniper to play on the right wing. This player would preferably be a top notch scorer who can contribute 35 goals or more, or at the very least, someone who can put in 25-30 goals next year.

In my opinion, the Habs also need a bit of a shakeup at the centre position. Whether this means committing to make Alex Galchenyuk the centre he was drafted to be or obtaining one through free agency or trade remains to be decided, but the team cannot go into next season with Plekanec, Desharnais and Eller as their top three centres.

The defense could also look a bit different next year. Many are pencilling in Nathan Beaulieu as a regular next season. Some are doing the same with Greg Pateryn. While both those guys showed some great improvement in the playoffs and at the end of the season, let’s not forget that Jarred Tinordi did the same two years ago and was obviously not NHL ready, forcing Bergevin to acquire Gonchar and Allen as a stop gap attempt.

SCORING RIGHT WINGER

It was reported that the Canadiens and Maple Leafs had some serious discussions at the trade deadline regarding Phil Kessel, but the asking price was too high for Bergevin’s (or anyone) liking. Now that Mike Babcock has been hired as the new coach, it remains to be seen if the Leafs are still thinking of trading Kessel and Phaneuf to do their rebuild. But if Kessel is available, Bergevin must get in there and investigate the possibility of bringing him in Montreal. While there are question marks about his attitude and his work ethic, Kessel has speed, a great shot, and knows where the net is and he could bring some much needed help to Pacioretty.

If not Kessel, it might be worth inquiring about Joffrey Lupul. True, he seems to get injured more often than not, but he’s a character player who is physical and will go through a brick wall for his team, while contributing offensively. He would certainly come cheaper than Kessel as well.

On more familiar territories for Bergevin, the Chicago Blackhawks will need to shed some salary this summer and two names keep coming up: Patrick Sharp and Bryan Bickell. Sharp is a right winger who has had a tougher season this year, losing some playing time to young Brandon Saad, but as we can see in these playoffs, the veteran is vastly outplaying his younger counterpart with 12 points in 15 games at the time of writing this article. It is unlikely that Bergevin would have any interest in Bickell as the team is very deep on the third and fourth line already.

The Edmonton Oilers finally seem to have decided to head in the right direction when they hired former Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli and former Sharks head coach Todd McLellan behind the bench. Chiarelli is known for not being afraid to trade young players as he did with Phil Kessel and Tyler Seguin, and he has plenty of interesting trade bait in Edmonton. They do need help on defense and in goal and Montreal seems to be a natural trade partner for the Oilers. Jordan Eberle or Nail Yakupov might be interesting targets for Marc Bergevin.

The San Jose Sharks are a team in need of some change. The team fired head coach Todd McLellan and replaced him with former New Jersey Devils bench boss Peter DeBoer but many believe that changes will occur on the ice as well. If I were Bergevin, I would knock at Doug Wilson’s door inquiring about the possibility of landing Brent Burns, who can play just as efficiently on the wing or on defense. In my opinion, a guy like Burns would play on the right wing on the top 6 and at the point on the second power play unit.

The St. Louis Blues are another team who could make some on-ice changed, especially after they announced that coach Ken Hitchcock will be back for another season behind the bench. A guy like T.J. Oshie could be sacrificed and might be a decent option for Bergevin.

What seems like not so long ago, the name of Dustin Byfuglien kept coming up in trade rumours in Winnipeg but rumours seem to have slowed down since the incident with Evander Kane where Ladd and Byfuglien stood up to the troubled player, later traded to Buffalo. If he is available though, he might be a very good option for Montreal in a role similar to the one I’ve described earlier on for Brent Burns.

CENTRE WANTED

It is my opinion that one, maybe two of Tomas Pleknanec and/or David Desharnais might have played their last game for the Canadiens. Both were too often invisible in the playoffs and change is highly preferable at that position. Let’s not forget Lars Eller, who has been terribly inconsistent since his debut in Montreal. If management decides that Galchenyuk is to take over a centre position, then two of the three others should be sent packing their bags.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a team going nowhere and rumours have been circulating to the effect that they might want to trade star centre Eric Staal. The 6-foot-4 centerman would be an ideal candidate for the Canadiens and he’s only 30 years old. He would be costly, but the Habs have the assets to get this done.

Bergevin and Joe Sakic have had talks all season last year. Could there be a deal possible between the two teams which would see Ryan O’Reilly heading to Montreal? The former second round pick is a centerman who can play the wing and he is only 24 years old.

We looked at St. Louis for a right winger but they also have two interesting candidates at centre. One of David Backes or Paul Stastny could be made available by the Blues for the right return and while I’d rather have Backes myself due to his style of play, I highly doubt that they would get rid of their captain. Stastny seems like the more logical option.

In San Jose, could Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau decide to wave their no-movement clause to finally get traded? Both have suffered the humiliation of getting the captaincy stripped from them and at 35, they may want to try winning a Cup elsewhere. The price would have to be right though as I doubt Bergevin wants his team to get much older.

Lastly, Antoine Vermette is scheduled to become a UFA and as a local product, the Habs might show some interest… at the right price. Amazingly enough, his stock and his production dropped since joining the Chicago Blackhawks but to his credit, so did his ice time and power play time. He shouldn’t be the priority target but he could be a definite option.

DEFENSE

As mentioned before, Jeff Petry is Marc Bergevin’s top priority this summer as he is trying to re-sign the former Oilers. Petry has been an excellent addition to the Canadiens, playing tons of quality minutes behind P.K. Subban. Smooth skating, great vision and good decision making while making a good first pass, he is exactly what the Canadiens were hoping when signing Tom Gilbert, who is obviously a step or two behind Petry.

A few weeks ago, University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly has informed the Columbus Blue Jackets that he will not be signing with them and will test free agency. I have seen Reilly play for the Penticton Vees in the BCHL and he immediately reminded me of another defenseman who I saw play in Penticton between 1999-2001, and that’s none other than Duncan Keith. Slick skater, great passer, he isn’t big but plays his position very well. Reilly represented Team USA at the last World Championships, usually a team composed of NHL players eliminated from the playoffs. Bergevin must do everything in his power to sign this young prospect.

If Petry cannot be signed, expect the Habs’ brass to go after Cody Franson, who they tried to trade for a year ago before Josh Gorges nicked the trade, stating not wanting to go to Toronto. Franson is a UFA this summer and he has stated that he wouldn’t mind heading back to Toronto but if Bergevin came knocking, on a team with a chance to win a Cup, he might listen.

TRADE BAITS

There are few untouchables on the Canadiens, although it’s pretty safe to say that Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher and maybe Alex Galchenyuk are likely the corner pieces around which Bergevin is building his team.

I expect that any of the following players could very well find a new home this summer: Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais, Lars Eller, Dustin Tokarski, Jarred Tinordi, Nathan Beaulieu, Alexei Emelin, Tom Gilbert and/or P-A Parenteau. Some but obviously not all of them could be dangled as trade bait for any of the wholes the team is trying to fil. Expect a busy and fun summer, with perhaps some decisions that won’t make everyone happy in the fan base.

Go Habs Go!!!