OPINION | In Defense of Habs Marc Bergevin, part 1

by Gregorio Lentini, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

Before I begin, I should warn that my personal opinions in this article may be very controversial. The fact that the Canadiens sit seventh-last in the entire league has rightfully enraged the fanbase of the Montreal Canadiens. I, myself, am deeply disillusioned by the unfolding of this disastrous season. However, in the midst of anger and frustration, it is very easy to come to rash conclusions.

Fans are justifiably searching for the solutions and the culprits of this disastrous season, and many have pointed the finger at Marc Bergevin. While I agree that Bergevin has made obvious mistakes, I wanted to review common complaints about his six-year tenure while adding my perspective. For this article, I am going to focus on two areas, leaving some contentious parts for the next article.

The point of this article is not to suggest that Bergevin is an amazing general manager. It is to try to examine the criticisms from another angle.

Too Many Fourth Liners

While it is humorous to point out the number of lower calibre players Bergevin has acquired, it is not accurate to portray the constant addition of depth as harmful mistakes. If players did not work out, like Mark Streit and Alexander Semin, he got rid of them. If they worked, like Torrey Mitchell and Bryan Flynn, he kept them.

While these moves may not be what fans desire, in my opinion, they have been beneficial to the organization. For example, Bergevin turned the now-defunct Raphael Diaz, into the productive Dale Weise, and then into the effective Philip Danault. He also acquired the swift Paul Byron from waivers.

That being stated, there are legitimate criticisms which can be made. For example, when he traded Sven Andrighetto, who now has 18 points in 37 games with the Avalanche, for Andreas Martinsen, Bergevin gave away a decent prospect for a dud. However, when it comes to minor trades, I think that this type of loss has been a rare occurrence.

Trades that were believed to be major losses, like trading away Jarred Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu, turned out to be rather insignificant in my eyes. Others, like Zach Redmond for Nicolas Deslauriers, were positive for both teams.

One can also make a case that older fourth-liners took away playing time from ready prospects, and thus inhibited their development. While it may be true in certain cases, it is difficult to objectively determine whether a bottom-six player legitimately stunted the development of a prospect. Whether it was the fourth-liner’s fault, the fault of the AHL staff or the fault of the individual player, is unclear to me.

In my view, Bergevin’s minor trades have produced more benefit than they have harm.

However, there is a myth that Bergevin only focuses on such minor deals. Whether you agree with these deals or not, Bergevin has not been shy to make big splashes. He infamously traded the beloved P.K. Subban for Shea Weber, took a chance on Alexander  Radulov and traded Mikhail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin.

Therefore, the fourth-liner comments should not be blown out of proportion. These types of low-risk, high reward deals are part of good asset management and thus a necessary part of being the GM. I don’t see it as a fireable offence.

Number One Centre

Take a look at these names: Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Anze Kopitar, Patrice Bergeron, Nicklas Backstrom, Matthew Barzal, Auston Matthews, Mark Scheifele, Jack Eichel, Leon Draisatl and Sean Monahan.

These are players on my list of the league’s top fifteen centremen. They are game-changers. They have either won a Stanley Cup, came close to winning one, or will come close to winning one in the near future.

If the Habs had one of these players, there is no doubt that they would be far from the bottom of the league. Every Stanley Cup winner over the past two decades has had at least one true, elite centre.

There is, unfortunately for Habs’ fans, one problem. The only commonality between all these elite centres is: each one was drafted by the same team they currently play for. In other words, unless you draft a top centre, it is difficult to acquire one by other means.

While many blame Bergevin for the lack of such a centre, I don’t believe that it was  entirely in his control to obtain centres of such calibre in the span of his tenure. Eighty percent of the aforementioned centres were drafted with top-ten picks, and in the six years of being general-manager, Bergevin has only drafted in the top-ten twice, in 2012 and 2016.

While the Canadiens selected Alex Galchenyuk as a centre from the 2012 Draft, he has not worked out at that position. The Habs were one number away from obtaining Auston Matthews in 2016. It is speculated that Bergevin may have had a deal to obtain Pierre-Luc Dubois if Edmonton selected him fourth overall in 2016, but Dubois was chosen third overall to Columbus.

One can criticize Bergevin for the lack of a number two centre, like a Kyle Turris, but in my opinion, if the Habs plan on winning the Stanley Cup, they are going to need more than a great centre, they need an elite one. While elite centres have been traded on occasion, the most realistic way to acquire one will be through the Draft.

There is also the issue that Bergevin has made two big trades without at least getting a top centre.

Bergevin could have traded Subban for such a centre, but the defense would be even more atrocious than it currently is. As the Oilers, Islanders and Penguins have demonstrated this year, even with elite centres, the lack of a solid defense corps will put a team on the cusp of missing the playoffs. The more serious criticism is why Bergevin traded blue-chip prospect Sergachev for a winger. While this may not be defendable, it is not clear to me  whether any team with such a centre would have been willing to make the trade. However, I will delve more into these scenarios in my next article.

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Before I conclude, I want to emphasize that Bergevin is not at all perfect. For example, he is too reluctant to make changes to the coaching staff. Telling by the team’s poor penalty-kill, among other stats, several of the teams’ assistant coaches should not be part of this organization. There is also the problem of the Canadiens’ overall lack of identity and lack of direction.

If Bergevin wants to remain at the helm of this organization, he must correct these issues.

I simply wish to warn the Canadiens’ fanbase to be careful. When discussing possible replacements for Bergevin, I constantly hear the mention of Patrick Roy and Julien Brisebois. While I wouldn’t outright object to having someone like Brisebois behind the helm, keep in mind that neither he nor Roy have had any experience as a GM in the NHL.

For me, it all comes down to how Bergevin manages this season. If he can properly manage a reset while finally acquiring a centre with true number one potential, then I see no reason to fire him. If he botches this opportunity, then I no longer see a reason to defend him.