Will Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin be active at the trade deadline given the recent success of the Habs?
by Blain Potvin, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
At the start of the season, generally, fan expectations for the Canadiens’ season were low. Common story lines followed.
Would Carey Price return to form? Would Shea Weber be just as effective as he was prior to his injury? Who would score?
After 50 games played, those questions have been answered. Once again, Price has been dominant for the past two months demonstrating that he is back to being a positive difference maker. Weber has been able to step right in and produce points while he has stabilized the Habs blue line.
As for goal scoring, the team sits at the midpoint of the league with 150 goals in 50 games for an average of three goals per game. If this trend continues, the Canadiens could finish the regular season with 246 goals, a significant increase over last season’s total of 207 goals. The caveat is that goal scoring across the league, including the Canadiens has started to drop off over the past month, so it may be a little early to celebrate the projected number.
The Canadiens offense has benefited from depth. The top three lines are capable of adding a goal, making it difficult for opposing teams.
While the Habs are presently in a Wild Card position for the playoffs, they are still a team with serious needs before they can take the next step to being even considered a contender.
The first obvious piece is the Canadiens lack a true star offensive threat. Jonathan Drouin has the talent, but he lacks effort and consistency. Jesperi Kotkaniemi could become that type of player, but is only 18-years-old and still needs time to grow into his eventual role as a top line center.
The second is a lack of a left-handed defenceman who can play reliably on a top pairing. Victor Mete has been playing well since being paired with Shea Weber consistently, however he is unlikely to ever truly fill the role of a reliable top-pairing defender.
The third is a desperate need for special teams to become effective. The power-play languishes at the bottom of the NHL in efficiency. The penalty-kill is only marginally better.
This brings us to the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline.
Here’s my personal message to the Canadiens general manager. Dear Marc, don’t be a rental buyer!
“But I’m not going to start mortgaging the future…”
In a recent press conference, Marc Bergevin addressed questions about his plans at the deadline.
“I’m going to listen. If I think it makes sense, I’ll do it. But I’m not going to start mortgaging the future because I know what’s coming with the World Junior — who they’re going to be asking for — and I’m not moving these kids,” said Bergevin. “So it’s going to be a short conversation, I think.”
We saw the prospects at the World Junior Championships. We hope that several good prospects will challenge for key NHL jobs soon. For fans taking a long-term view, Bergevin provided peace of mind that management will not be selling top prospects.
So Canadiens prospects seem safe, but are they really? What his comments tell fans is that Bergevin is willing to take on a player with term that fills a need so that they can be part of future success.
Now, what about draft picks?
“I’m not going to give up a first-round pick for a rental.”
The Canadiens GM makes it clear that he won’t be giving up the team’s first round pick. More than reassuring fans, Bergevin’s comments were also a signal to general managers around the league.
“I’m not going to give up a first-round pick for a rental. It’s just not going to happen,” said Bergevin. “So I want to be clear, today, it’s not happening.”
As we have seen before, Bergevin can be good at leaving himself wiggle room. Despite being clear about his first round pick, he seems open to using other draft picks beyond the initial round.
This may be a concern for anyone hoping to continue retooling with youth. Draft picks and prospects, key to this youth movement, should not get used as trade chips, in my opinion. Giving any up now could be sacrificing future success for short term gain.
While this year may be an exception, normally costs of acquiring players at the trade deadline are at a premium. It could simply be too high to follow through on filling one of the Canadiens’ needs, let alone all of them.
Bergevin has done an admirable job in restocking the cupboards. His comments on protecting his young assets are a step in the right direction for those who want him to continue the path that he embarked on this past summer.
Beyond selling off rentals like Jordie Benn, there is no need to do anything other than let the current group go as far as they can. Lessons will be learned as they grow as a team.
In it were up to me, the Canadiens 2019 NHL Trade Deadline motto should read “Stay the Course!”