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McLean’s Pub Call Of The Wilde: Bergevin And The Fireable Offences

December 31, 2017

By Brian Wilde

An assessment of Marc Bergevin and whether he should remain at the post of General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens can not be made without making an assessment of all the other GMs of the National Hockey League. You can’t assess Bergevin in a vacuum. You can only assess by comparing him to 30 other GMs doing the same job. That complicated job is an assessment of the talents of players not only now, but also their tomorrows. The job of GM is not math. Thirty-one GMs don’t get to say the answer to two plus two is four; instead, 31 GMs fight amongst themselves in evaluating, not math, but art.

So what sets up one GM as successful and another as a failure? The answer is in the severity of his mistakes and the repetition of his mistakes compared to his peers. Does Marc Bergevin stand out as horrible amongst his peers? If you answer yes, you have your justification for a Bergevin pink slip.

So where are we on that? Let’s evaluate these artists and see, among them, where Bergevin stands.

Every single GM has his own Alexander Radulov. An assessment of the Radulov situation can not be made without considering his freedom. You know the story… Radulov was given the same contract offer as the Dallas Stars by Bergevin. Radulov had told everyone that he loved Montreal and he wanted to stay, but in the end, he chose lower taxes, a chance to live in anonymity, and better weather. You see what Bergevin couldn’t control here is a man’s free will. Radulov was an unrestricted free agent. What happened to Bergevin happened twice this off-season. Andrei Markov also exercised his free will. Every single year this happens to every GM because it is actually written in the CBA. You can’t keep a player who wishes to move on.  Shall the Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff be fired for not signing Andrew Ladd? Why not? Ladd left Winnipeg after a trade and the GM did nothing about it. Shall the New York Rangers GM Jeff Gorton be fired for not signing Kevin Shattenkirk at the end of the season? Why not? He didn’t sign his UFA. Around the league, every GM has players not sign to weaken his team. That’s the way it works. It’s called free agency. Bergevin doesn’t stand apart. He stands exactly in the same place as his peers. How in heaven’s name is a UFA exercising his free will which happens 70 times each July 1st a fireable offence? If Bergevin should be fired for not signing his unrestricted free agents, then no GM should remain at his post in any city. Fire them all!

You also can’t claim that Bergevin’s penchant for trying out fourth liners or third pair defencemen to see if someone elevates their game is a fireable offence. It costs nothing. You see if they work. When they don’t, they cost you nothing. They’re not grave errors. Mark Streit? Bad decision, but what did he cost you? Next to nothing. This is his thing. He loves doing this. Sometimes it works and he gets Paul Byron and sometimes it doesn’t and Bryan Flynn is free to go. Low risk. High reward. Not a fireable offence. Not even an offence at all really with such little down side to all of these win-one-lose-one moves.

What then is a fireable offence? It is when a GM signs an albatross contract or commits a lopsided trade and he keeps making that big mistake. A GM worth firing has to stand out as poor being beaten continually by his peers signing poor contracts and getting beaten at trades. To see where Marc Bergevin stands in the history of GMs, one must look at what has historically defined failure.

The greatest failure in league history at GM is Mike Milbury of the New York Islanders who signed Alexei Yashin for 10 years and he signed Rick Dipietro for 15 years. These contracts were and are fireable offences. The players were quickly gone, and the money had to be paid out.

Let’s keep going.

As GM of the Habs Bob Gainey traded for Scott Gomez who was in a 7 year contract paying him 7.3 million per season and he was already sharply in decline.  Just taking this contract off Glenn Sather’s hands was already a win for the Rangers, but Gainey also gave New York Ryan McDonagh who was a first round draft pick with a great career budding in front of him. This trade was so bad and cost so much that it is a fireable offence.

Let’s keep going.

David Poile acquired Paul Gaustad for a first round draft choice at the trading deadline. Gaustad did little and the Predators made a quick exit from the playoffs. Poile doubled down on his clear error by signing Gaustad to a long term contract. Gaustad had no hockey left in him but remained a terrible player for five years in Nashville because the money was spent and the courage to eat the contract wasn’t there. That for Poile was a fireable offence.

Hold it though. Put the breaks on. Poile didn’t get fired. Not all fireable offences lead to firings. Poile is now the genius who took 35 years to get to his first Stanley Cup final and was forgiven for that gaffe and the gaffe of bringing back a failing Mike Ribeiro who insiders already knew was also having trouble with the law in Dallas for a long standing penchant for poor behaviour. Big fireable gaffes by Poile, but now he stands amongst his peers as a genius by foreseeing the budding importance of the mobile defenceman. The calls were out there to fire Poile when the Predators were a failure over and over again in the playoffs culminating in the Gaustad and Ribeiro fireable offences. Nashville fans are very happy today for the patience shown then.

Let’s keep going.

George McPhee in Washington with a fireable offence as he traded his first round draft choice Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat who was clearly already slowing down for the Predators. Erat’s numbers were horrible. Forsberg was one of the top players at the World Junior Championship while Erat was just about done. McPhee who was yesterday’s idiot is now today’s genius as the Vegas Golden Knights are writing the greatest expansion team story in NHL history. Vegas has lost only two games at home this season and sits in first place in the Pacific Division. The architect of this amazing story is the GM who seemed to be an absolute hockey moron not assessing correctly Erat or Forsberg.

Four examples given. In two, Milbury and Gainey made mistakes and now are out of the GM chair. Two others made mistakes and are believed to be incompetent at the time but recover to be today’s geniuses at their job – Poile and McPhee.

Huge blunders by GMs can not be counted there are so many. Some GMs recovered to fight another day. Some lost their jobs. Look up the names Andrew MacDonald, Jeff Finger, Matt Moulson, Ilya Bryzgalov, David Clarkson, Ville Leino, Chris Drury, Mike Komisarek.

These and many more are massive blunders by GMs who didn’t see the future correctly, because this is not a math equation. This job is art. Art has mistakes in it. Art is drawn with a pencil. And at the end of that pencil is an eraser.

Marc Bergevin has made only one significantly bad move in his entire six year tenure. This is the first contract that he has given that could haunt him severely. This could be his albatross. This may be his Clarkson, or his Komisarek. We can’t say yet, but this contract to Karl Alzner is at least in the realm.

Five years isn’t the worst amount of years given to a player who we are seeing on the decline, but it’s pretty bad. Five million dollars isn’t the worst amount of money given to a player who we are seeing on the decline, but it’s pretty bad.  If Bergevin can’t extricate himself from this contract and Alzner continues to decline, and then Bergevin repeats this type of error, then, yes, Bergevin would be committing fireable offences.

So with this Alzner contract, Bergevin has entered the same room that all of his other peers are sitting in. He is now in the same room of David Poile who has his Paul Gaustad, in the same room of George McPhee who has his Martin Erat. Bergevin is now like every GM in the NHL who now has to correct a big mistake.

Welcome to the club, Marc. Here’s your pencil.

 

 

About Brian Wilde

Brian Wilde has worked in hockey since he was 20. He was the rink side host for the Edmonton Oilers at CTV and Ottawa Senators for Sportsnet. He was also lead reporter on the Montreal Canadiens for 17 years at CTV Montreal.

View all posts by Brian Wilde

  • Adrian Geary says

    His lack of apparent activity in improving the mess they’re in now seems to be the fans biggest reasons for calling for his head now.

  • Roland Briere says

    Except he isn’t in the same boat as 30 other GM’s. He and the other 6 GM’s North of the border all have the same disadvantage. They’re in a smaller boat.
    Happy New Year Brian.

  • frederick moses says

    I think the problem with MB is how he lost his free agents. He played hardball, gambled and lost. Both players realistically wanted to stay and left in the end. I think it is a fireable offense. The Sergachev trade could very well become one as well. I can’t say that I trust him for a retool at all.

  • David Feng says

    Brian, you give Bergevin too much credit. It has become clear in hindsight that BOTH Markov and Radulov were amenable to signing with the Habs this past summer, but both were chased away by MB’s hardline negotiating style. His ego took precedence over the teams best interest, and the team suffers as a result. These are both fireable offenses. The signs were there earlier too… that PK Subban had to progress to mediation, and that Molson had to step in to get him signed long term was the first sign that MB was not a good negotiator. Now we as fans pay the price for his huge ego.

    • Brian Wilde says

      No one knows this. This is conjecture that people like to believe. The action is all that counts and the action is he lost UFAS. Yep. Happens 75 times a year.

  • johan masse says

    Before Alzner, there was Briere, DD, Emelin, Plecky and the worst of all Price.

    I know u don’t agree with me on Price. But remember, in a cap era, signing a 31yo for 8 years with an already injured knee for 14% of the caphit is just pure craziness.

    And u know why great gm don’t lose their UFA? They don’t wait. They sign them before or they trade them.

    Armstrong made a mistake. He lost Backes and Oshie. The year after, he did not lose Shattenkirk. He got a 1st round pick for him. Robert Thomas

    Do you imagine how great STL prospects pool would be if he had traded Backes and Oshie for picks?

    In a cap era, u just don’t lose UFA. If u can’t find a common ground before christmas…trade the player.

    the magic stat for players in a cap era is pts/60min/M$ and MTL start 10% behind every year because of the local income tax.

    to win the cup in MTL, the gm must be perfect. nothing less

    As long as the fans, the medias and the owner don’t get it, there won’t be a parade on Ste-Cath

    you can’t win on the ice if you lose in the office

    #firebergevin
    #tradeprice

    • Nathan Boey says

      How was he supposed to extend Radulov? He wanted max term at like $8 mil per and wouldn’t budge!
      He had to wait until his agent could test the free agent market to realize that he wasn’t worth that much and ended up with the highest bidder. Markov I think everyone agrees should have taken a little discount at his age but held firm. That one stings a bit to realize what he provided once he is gone, but I think at the time he was trying to sign both players to fit under cap and ended up losing both instead.

  • Jon Saunders says

    Nice article Brian…It always seems easier for lots of people to criticize and point fingers who’s at fault, thanks for writing this article hope some will realize that things will and can turn around very quickly, I’m in the belief with the prospects coming up, cap room available and Plekanek on his last year Habs will be a different and in better situation by next season!!

    Love your input and comments on Habs, great site thanks to Recrutes and all involved with Grant.

    Happy new year Brian all the best to you, your family and closest friends.

    Regards

    Jon

  • Sean McIntyre says

    Ladd was traded to Chicago for Dano and a first round pick. In hindsight I wish he traded Markov and Radulov but it would have been hard to justify for a first place team with a new coach in Julien. We as Habs fans like to rip Gainey for trading a blue chip defenceman for a centreman. Bergevin traded a blue chip defenceman for a winger to transition into a centre. History could repeat itself I hope it doesn’t. I think Gainey would be a good advisor to Marc but he is with the Blues. 🙁 He had 6 years to address the centre position and has failed. The prospect pool looks weak. The current roster is weak. Everything he touches lately seems to not work out. After a while you need to ask is it bad luck or bad management. To me it’s the latter. I will support him till the end but I’m never going to apologize for him. Some Fans wish him to fail to support their narratives and I don’t get it. He’s been learning on the fly due to his inexperience. I’m patient but he better address the centre position. He better not let Plekanec walk for nothing(standings should make this a no brainer). Nobody on this roster should be untouchable and the deadline is my last straw for him. End rant. Happy New Year! Great job guys! Go Habs Go!

    • Moe says

      “He’s been learning on the fly due to his inexperience.” Are you kidding me? Is it my fault he’s inexperienced? This language thing is killing the habs. All of the good hockey minds in the game are… wait for it…. ENGLISH SPEAKING!!!!!!!

  • Sean McIntyre says

    Ok not end rant. I just looked up the new darling of GM’s Steve Yzerman. He’s in his 11th year and this year will be only the fifth time he’s made the playoffs. Several years were they were at the bottom or not in contention which makes it easier for a fan base to accept trading off unwanted contracts, vets, etc. Bergevin has had a team near the top which made it hard for him to do the same. This year is only the second time of his tenure where they are tanking. I had an epiphany. Let him do this retoole. Let him fix this. I would like however if he did get some help though.

    • Sean McIntyre says

      My reasearch was wrong. Yzerman was a Vice President for 4 of those 11 years. He missed playoffs 3 in 7.
      Thanks to CJ for pointing that out

    • Moe says

      Let him fix the mess he created due to being an incompetent gm and surrounding yourself with “yes” men!

      He’s got to go. Let’s hire someone who isn’t french!

      • Grant McCagg says

        Moe…you can tone down the responses a bit, don’t want to turn this into an HF Boards environment. You also may want to consider sending all of your thoughts (i.e. more than one sentence or paragraph) in a single email.

  • Chris ODonnell says

    The Weber trade wasn’t great. In this case, it’s not who you got, it’s what you gave up. I wish PK was still here, does that take away anything from Weber? Absolutely not. Is Weber great for the Habs? Simple answer is yes. I’d take Weber on my team every day. I’d also take PK. Different players, different roles. I understand the point you’re trying to convey Brian, and I respect it. My opinion differs from yours on this though. Bergevin has left me wanting more. He doesn’t seem to have the ability to deliver.
    Anyways, great read Brian, Happy New Year and all the best. I’m looking forward to many more great articles in 2018

  • Matt McKenna says

    Really enjoyed this, Brian. Thanks.

    I’m with you. An important question for me when looking at a GM is this: are they getting better? They all screw up, like all humans. Does MB wring the lesson from the blunder? Can he improve his negotiating style? Can he read where the league is going and take the team there?

    When a young, gifted player pulls a razzle-dazzle move and coughs up the puck, or makes a public gaffe, we hope he learns. We want him to give us the skill with some maturity. If it takes them time to learn it, you’re patient or you move them. If he’s Seguin, it bites you in the ass. If he’s a Kostitsyn…

    GMs need to develop on the job too.

    Maybe MB is a stubborn guy who does things one way and believes that the world will come around and reward him for it someday.

    But maybe he’s as shrewd and determined as his peers say he is. Perhaps he learning from all the screw ups we know about, and the ones we don’t. Maybe he’s honing his sense of when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Maybe he knows how he should handle the next Subban, Markov, Radulov, and Alzner.

    I’d hate for the Habs to invest this time in MB. For him to grow, commit a fireable offense, and succeed somewhere else.

    But if he’s not learning, send him to scout in Belarus. I think you’re right – how he handles Pacioretty will show us a great deal.

    • Brian Wilde says

      All I try to do is look at the bigger picture. He may have insulted Markov is not the big picture. All the GMs have blemishes. They have to. It’s an impossible job for all of them. But some things are fireable and historically the errors Bergevin has made are not ones you get fired for. Can you imagine the Jets ownership group says yes we fired our GM because Ladd didn’t want to play for us and he left as a UFA

      This is essentially the battle cry over Radulov and Markov having the free will to leave.

      Or Weber vs Subban when both are excellent players.

      Or Steve Ott was lousy or some other fringe player.

      These are not even close to fireable offences.

      But if he can’t get out of Alzner and he keeps doing Alzners, then yes we are in the ball park like Fletcher for Finger signing.

      And that is not an opinion. That is a look at history – at what actually gets a GM fires.

  • Patrick Moss says

    I’ll add myself to the chorus of commentators who think you’re giving MB WAY too much credit when it comes to Radu and Markov. The fact is – and Bergy said as much on TSN690 – that the Markov deal came down to a 1year $5million offer from Bergy and a $6million 1 year counter by Markov. Bergy didn’t want to meet Markov’s price. He felt the team was better suited with Streit and Alzner than Markov. He held a hard line. He lost. And he was wrong. Is that enough to be fired? I don’t know. But he was wrong, Brian, and the evidence is clear.

    Next. Radu. The player claims the Habs offer came in late. The GM claimed the offer came in before Dallas. He famously, and arrogantly, stated that he didn’t have enough money for both Radu and Markov after the Alzner signing. It was “first come, first served.” And also “if u want loyalty, buy a dog.” The details are, at best, sketchy, at worst, damning. As for Texas having no state tax: remember, in Canada, players are paid in USD but expenses are in CDN. Huge difference of 20-30% right there. Cost of living in MTL is also fairly low. The case is nowhere near as clear cut as you make it out to be. Fireable offense? I don’t know. Arrogant? Definitely.

    What else? Let’s just look at the last 20 months. How about Andrighetto for Martinsen. One has 33 pts since the trade. The other isn’t even in the league anymore.

    How about giving up the right to draft DeBrincat and Sam Girard as Trevor Timmins desperately wanted (2 players who would fill immediate and enormous holes in the current lineup), in exchange for Andrew Shaw. I know who I would rather have and bet deep down so do you.

    How about PK versus Weber – I know, I know, Weber is the second coming of Zeus. He’s mountain man. He’s the best defenseman who has never won a Norris. Except PK has won a Norris and was nominated for another. Weber is also older, slower and less suited to TODAYS game than PK. Are you going to deny this? Oh, he also has less points and has played less games than him too. Does anyone think that trend line will reverse in the coming years? It’s an awful trade Brian, and I don’t need to wait another year to know it. It’s awful and will continue to be.

    How about the Alzner contract. At least u agree with me on that!

    Yes, in the past 20 months Bergy also brought in Julien, signed Prince long term, and made a gutsy trade for Drouin that may well pan out in the Habs favor.

    But those positive moves do not take away the awful moves he has made in the past 20 months.

    Each of those moves, individually, are not fireable. But put them all together, and they make quite a case. I don’t know who the next GM should be or if he can realistically do better.

    But I do know that Bergevin has been awful the past 20 months and the facts are there for anyone who cares to pay attention.

    Happy new year.

    • Brian Wilde says

      Yes. They’re frustrating. Yes. They hurt your feelings. Yes they make you angry. Sure. Agreed.

      I have admitted as such that they are mistakes.

      They are not fireable mistakes. As I said over and over again … 75 free agents leave their teams every single year. They all test the market looking for a better offer. They all fail in negotiations. That’s what it means to test the market. That is what free agency means. They’re all failures every single time by their GMs. GMs fail 75 times a year to negotiate these men away from their freewill. I don’t have Habs glasses on. I have NHL glasses on.

      As far as Weber, no one in the entire NHL and you have my promise on that , no one would consider a first pair Canada d for subban a fireable offence.

      As far as who could have been drafted with picks…. that is a crap shoot of course…. the known availability of these players at these draft sports is a bet that Vegas would not take.

      So to summarize…. there’s nothing in there that doesn’t happen to every GM 100 times a year. So if these are unforgivable to you … cool. I don’t obviously care. It doesn’t make any difference to me. I don’t have any skin in the game. I am an NHL reporter and I I see what happened to Bergevin happen 100 times a year. But who knows maybe Molson isn’t paying attention to the overall GM trials and tribulations either and he agrees with you and with most fans really. It seems to me that the tide is rising. Maybe you get lucky and he agrees with you and says dammit we should have Debrincat..Bergevin needs to go.

      All I do is tell you the NHL picture and Bergevin has got the same problems they all got. As I said…. welcome to the club here’s a pencil get to work.

      • Patrick Moss says

        I get it. And we can agree to disagree. I do thank you for engaging as I really appreciate it.

        One question: you had mentioned in a previous post that it was your belief that Bergy was aware a re-tool was needed, that he knew he had made some mistakes, and that Max, Pleks etc would be part of a re-tool. Was this an educated guess? Are you able to speak more openly about how you came to this belief? Honest question. Thanks again. Happy New Year.

        • Patrick Moss says

          Never mind. I saw your response in the other post. Got it. Thanks again.

          The coming months will be very telling.

        • Brian Wilde says

          If Max and Tomas are not traded, those would be to me pretty serious mistakes. It would be an indicator that he doesn’t understand that this year is done. If he doesn’t know that now, he better know it soon. They need to be 15 games over 500 to get to a playoff number.

    • Neil Pearce says

      Great comments by all ! My biggest issues with MB , are 1) he apparently told Larry Robinson the Habs were moving in a different direction. I lost all respect for him that day.
      2) the PK trade.. I love Weber, but we lost that trade . In addition, if he was so intent on trading PK, why not move him for a centre?
      3) AK27 .. Stating at a golf tournament how he’s not a center, then trading for a winger , and putting him at Center.

  • Michael says

    Brian my biggest issue is not the money, but the types of players Bergevin is acquiring. I don’t think he will have a hard time trading Alzner at the deadline if he get a creative and takes a bit if a loss.
    The issue is Bergevin seems to be still stuck in 2003. It’s now 2018, a team full of Phaneufs and Lucics isn’t going to compete with the McDavids flying by at 100mph. If he starts to trade away the veterans for speed and skill, that’s needs to be the new path.

    If the Blues are interested in Pacioretty, Bergevin needs to go after Thomas HARD. I think he could be the next Bergeron.

    • Brian Wilde says

      I think the GMs who have the Phaneufs and the Lucics realize that the league has made a change they didn’t foresee. Only one year ago, goals were at the lowest in NHL history. The NHL saw they had a problem so have changed the application of the rules. The GMs who were still loading up on holding contain players missed the boat. However, I sure don’t think those GMs are so stupid that they don’t know that they missed the boat. Many people seem to default to these GM guys, these hockey guys all their lives,must be stupid which is I guess human nature to put one’s self on a pedestal and think that others haven’t figured out what is to be honest painfully obvious. I think any idiot has got this figured out watching Alzner and Benn get blown past this year on the pivot on the rush and seeing that those contain D aren’t allowed to contain in their old ways.

  • Dan Adams says

    Hi Brian,
    I think this is a very good summation of “the art” of being a general manager. Bergevin does remind me of a man who paints his canvas much like he played hockey. He was a very conservative defenceman and now he seems to have brought this trait into his managerial style. He seems to think much like Karl Alzner plays. But today I would like to go to a place were most sport’s commentators seem to not want to tread. It is a simple fact that when we look for talent in a hockey player we should be willing to put absolutely no restrictions on where they come from or which language that they speak. Very talented players have been interviewed in English on French Sports channels for years and only for a little temporary language trouble over Koivu’s captaincy everything has gone well. For some reason it seems that we must have a general manager who is either a French Canadian or someone who is absolutely fluent in French. My question is : Are not we greatly limiting the talent pool of possible very skilled general managers that become available when we do this. Would we be willing to say now in the first day of the year 2018 that only French Canadiens can play for this team ? I do not think so. Would Bob Gainey or Marc Bergevin be considered as top talents to fill other NHL general managers jobs other than The Canadiens ? I don’t think so. I feel the real celebration of the Quebec culture should be measured by the success of the team on the ice and not which language is being spoken in the boardroom. Wernher von Braun [an ex Nazi ] was hired after the war to run the US space programme and the result was that the Americans were first to the moon . I am not against Bergevin . I just do not want to be stuck in a geocentric concept in the hiring of General Managers for The Canadiens. To promote ourselves as Quebecois is to set no limits on what is available to us. Winning The Stanley cup surely cannot be compared to getting to the moon, but for The Canadiens it is becoming almost as hard.

  • Chad O'Brien says

    I think MB has done a great job. Its not easy building a contender, while still staying competitive. He has managed to keep stocking the farm team , yet still has been competitive. I have already written off this year, they dont have what it takes. Very anxious for the off season and all that spending money!!!! Forgive the negativity, but I think this years failings, could be a blessing in disguise.

  • Brian Wilde says

    Let me take a second here to thank you for all these excellent and intelligent comments. The high standard of discourse here at the site by all of you who are passionate and opinionated but above all respectful, has been so uplifting.

    So thank you to all of you for that. I have very much appreciated it. Grant has too. It’s been wonderful.

  • Sylvain Bouffard says

    Thanks Brian, great read: as fans, we follow the game in a vacuum and lack the perspective you brought. There are other teams, other GMs out there who are also competing. MB hasn’t found a 1C in six years is a legitimate criticism; but we need to acknowledge that he is not alone trying to find that gem.

    There is one thing I like about MB: he tries stuff. Trading PK took lot of guts. Same thing going for Drouin and letting go Sergachev. This year feels like he took a big gamble: keep money aside for the trade deadline, scoop up a big name then and go make a solid playoff run. Assuming Patch and Price played their normal game, Drouin matched Radulov… that made sense, I think. It was a ‘swing for the fences’ approach, for sure, and it didn’t work. But he tried something. And in my mind, that’s worthy of more appreciation than signing both AR and AM over the summer, putting almost the same team on the ice and hoping for a different result in the playoff.

    • Brian Wilde says

      He made mistakes. He had I think his first bad year for sure. Now he needs to show that he is aware of those mistakes. I think he is completely aware. These are smart hockey men. Somehow because they aren’t allowed to actually say the words boy did I mess up there, that fans and media somehow think they are so stupid that they don’t know it. Of course, they know it. They just are not allowed to say it as that would make their situation in the long term even worse. This isn’t a business of truth. In fact, any time that Bergevin has been overly truthful it has hurt him. This is a business of duplicity. Max may actually be losing it completely right now as a player, so Bergevin has to sell that he is trading him as his season is over, not as this player is over. It’s a complex art of deception, but as I said, it is without a doubt art.

      • Sylvain Bouffard says

        Thanks for the reply Brian, this is such an enjoyable experience.

        I think a similar ‘bad year’ reality might apply as well to Pacioretty: this one bad year from which he will eventually bounce back. So much of it seems to be in his head… I can’t imagine all the talent is gone. Speaking of mental health: I remember a few years ago there was a team psychologist we’d sometimes hear about. Is there still a resource like that around the team?

        • Brian Wilde says

          If I were a GM, that would be a tough call. My gut says Max might be on the down slope. I don’t know. I would trade though because he’s gonna be on the down slope at some point in this contract. It will end when he is 37. That would scare me. With that said, a lot of GMs are signing players until 37.

  • Alex Laberge says

    Thank you once again for an other great article. Love the job you guys are doing.

    I think comparing MB to other GM like you did is interesting & puts some things in perspective. It’s still looking at it in a vacuum, right? I think maybe the fireable offense comes from the overall result after six year & high expectations that comes with this market? Trades, signings, draft picks, development, staff in place, suites/glasses/hair cut style (ok, maybe not that last one)? I do hope MB will bounce back with a big trade or free agent signing that could change the landscape. Hope he acknowledge his mistakes, learns, improves & understands where NHL is and where it’s heading. His next moves will gives us more clues.

    Happy new year! Can’t wait to read more good stuff from you guys in 2018!
    Cheers!

  • Tony sollazzo says

    Great read Brian. The biggest problem with MTL is GM’s don’t usually get a chance to fix some of their mistakes. MTL has always been a revolving door of coaches and GM’s. You made some great points and hopefully Molson will let his current GM right this ship because bringing in someone new will just be the same old crap all over again.
    It’s the same story with every new GM and coach. If they don’t win a cup in they’re 1st 4 or 5 years then everybody is calling for them to be fired.
    Happy New Year to you and Grant keep up the great work guys.

    • Ralph Segreto says

      How long does he need to fix his mistakes? It’s a reasonable question. I consider Ray Shero a good GM. Look at what he’s done for the Devils, in 2 and a half years. Bergevin has had full control for 5.5 years. Shouldn’t we be looking at an improved product?

      • Brian Wilde says

        Steve Yzerman was fireable at Year six. Listen it’s jist about emotional hate. And if it brews heavy then Molson will be forced to do something about it.

        I essentially am answering every point everyone makes the same now ….. yeah all the GMs have that problem.

        The reader tells me a thing Bergevin did wrong and I respond with another GM who has done same or worse.

        So I am not saying he hasn’t erred. He has. Point is they all err and they err big.

        They err big too much and they’re fired. So we watch.

  • Joe Szyslak says

    The main issue for me is his total lack of vision. I’m concerned he just does not understand what it takes to build a winner in the modern day NHL. Deadline pick ups last season, off season team management are some indicators that he doesn’t get it.

    PK Subban for Weber was the first clear indicator. One is built for the new NHL (speed speed speed more speed, skill, puck possession) the other is not. I’ll take a second here to say I DO believe Weber is a star defender, but he’s not an ideal number for the modern day NHL.

    He seems to favour “leadership” and “character” over skill (Shaw, Weber, etc etc). Again, that seems very archaic to me. I’m not sure why he hasn’t been able to develop and trade for talent over the past 6 years but the fact is this team seriously lacks talent. They can’t score.

    The next move the Habs make is too crucial for their future for it to be made by someone who has demonstrated that he is stuck in the past. It’s time to move on.

    • Brian Wilde says

      All I can say is it’s the same thing they all do. We just look at it through a Montreal lens. Here watch this… let me lead you through an Edmonton lens. Peter Chiarelli signs Lucic for 7 years. No vision for sure as this player is slow and his best years are behind him. He has Patrick Marroon whose huge goal total wasn’t gonna ever happen again. He forgot to get a back up goalie and Brossoit sucking at a vital time cost the Oilers the season. Also he traded the first over all pick AGAIN in Taylor Hall whose speed will make him a fantastic player in the new NHL. So in synopsis fire him. No vision. No idea.

      Next. I can fire all of them if you would like. I could have fired Yzerman for you last year and I could have fired you Poile 3 years ago.

  • Ralph Segreto says

    I often agree with your sentiments, Brian, but in this case, I think you’re looking at a narrow aspect of the job, namely ‘has he made one huge mistake”. Before I go into that, let me respond to the Radulov and Markov issues. Bergevin did not make an equal offer to Radulov. His offer was substantially less, in Rad’s pocket, than Dallas’. I can’t blame Bergevin for Quebec’s taxes, but he knows the reality. You can’t offer the same gross contract and actually think it’s equal. He’s been left with $8MM in CAP space, which hasn’t score a single point for the team. Knowing how critical Radulov was to the Habs offence (see Pacioretty’s comments to that effect) surely he could have offered about $7MM, and done it in a much more professional manner. “We need you Alex, you’re critical to our offense and while I may not be able to equal the same money in your pocket as Dallas, it’s a good offer”. Instead we got the ‘Take it or leave it”, “first come first served” and “If you want loyalty, get a dog”. Seriously, what kind of GM who really wants to sign those players, uses that language? One is left with the impression he wasn’t keen on having either Radulov or Markov back. Unless it was strictly on his terms. That’s letting your ego and attitude get in the way of building a successful team, and that’s not the first time we’ve seen that happen. Regarding Markov and the one big error you stated, the Alzner contract, that could have been corrected as well. Why sign Alzner? He was proven to be redundant in today’s NHL. Why not sign Andrei for a year or two, allow the coming kids to develop and then make him an assistant coach. Markov’s one of the smartest players around, he’d probably make a great coach. You give him a chance to play another year or two, he’d contribute more than those depth defensemen Bergevin signed in desperation and he’d then be able to stay in the game and contribute in other ways.
    But back to the bigger picture. I say Bergevin’s been a failure from the very beginning because of his lack of management skills. A key skill is hiring good people to work with you. This is where MB’s attitude and ego come in. At this point, without closer contact with him, I’m speculating from his actions I’ve seen and comments I’ve heard from afar. Being closer, you might have a better idea if I’m right. I believe he is a micro-manager, who has to have his fingers into everything. I also doubt he shares an awful lot with his subordinates. It explains why there’s hardly any leaks from the club and the deals he has made seem to be surprises. It’s bad enough to not let your employees do their jobs, but it’s worse when those employees aren’t capable to start with. So firstly he hires a coach who has failed at two previous attempts, one with a club which went on to win the Cup the same season he was fired. Therrien’s issues have often been with young players. He doesn’t trust them, so Bergevin takes a team with Price, Subban, Gallagher and Galchenyuk, young upcoming players and gives them a coach who doesn’t understand or have tolerance for the inevitable mistake they will make. He hires a defense coach with no record of success in his past, bypassing, with a much disregard in the process, a hall of famer former Hab defenseman who had a proven record of improving defenses he worked with. Then he hires, for his farm team, a guy who had been an assistant with clubs where he missed the playoffs 4 out his 5 year career (at the time) and was eliminated in the first round in the other. What does Bergevin think Lefebvre was learning through those years? Those decisions are ones that don’t necessarily have an impact right away, but they will slowly eat away at an organization. Therrien helps drive PK out of town; Lefebvre fails to give his charges any playoff experience and we discover the only thing he can develop is a losing complex. Is it a surprise, then, that if you factor in Carey Price’s ability to keep this team afloat, that Bergevin’s whole record from 2012 on looks like the share price of Blockbuster after Netflix? If Price hadn’t been Superman during that time, we’d have seen this result much sooner.
    I’d place Bergevin in the bottom third of GM’s in the league and I think I’m being generous. As an aside, I think signing fringe players hoping they’ll become something else, is like buying lottery tickets. Without a ton of luck, it’s a waste and it doesn’t come without some downside. What do the regular players think of a revolving door of 4th liners and 3rd pairing defensemen? It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that the guy in charge has a vision and a plan. Bergevin doesn’t have either and that’s why I doubt he’ll ever produce a winner.

    • Brian Wilde says

      So essentially the argument you’re making is in the 70 or so players who have free will and they exercise it that is oh well that’s just the way it is. 70 times oh well what can you do. However on Bergevin’s two players he blew it and he should have known better. 70 oh well that’s free agency for ya and one GM with firable offences.

      Like I have said …. I don’t have any skin in the game. It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other if fans and media are emotional. I just say as an NHL reporter what happens in the NHL. And 70 times a year GMs lose a player. But if people want to parse out that only times out of 70 the GM blew it they were MB times then ….whatever man I don’t care. Sounds hilarious to me and I sure think it’s an emotional response but the response I dont control. I just write the logical emotionally removed articles. Certainly with no economic gain either. If Grant and I wanted to make
      more money we would have our knives out. People want deep slashing cuts and blood flowing. I could write that easily. But that would be a lie of logic as a detached NHL reporter.

      • Neil Pearce says

        Great article Mr. Wilde ! However, when considering if a GM should be fired, you also need to look at all work done under the GMs tenure. 6 yrs ago, the team missed the playoffs and had the 3rd pick. The core of this team today is essentially the same as was then, minus Markov and Subban , replaced by weber and Petry. All of his other moves have been basically 5th and 6th defence and 3rd and 4th line player. Essentially , this team now , like then , depends on a spectacular Price. Nothing has really changed in 6 yrs. Our minor league system is not stronger. Consensus is our cupboard is bare. If anything , this habs team is even less entertaining as it was then. Yes, I left out Drouin, but I also left out Ryder and DD.. and Drouin numbers aren’t there yet. When you look at the body of work, it’s not good. All GMs error , but the team has to trend upward. MB was given very good building blocks 6 yrs ago. Now it seems we have to start from scratch. So now we are suppose to let him start over again and hope he learned and not repeat past mistakes .. like hiring JJ over Larry Robinson ? Giving Alzner 5 yrs ? The PK trade ., yes , the PK, trade . Not because he was traded for weber , but because a beloved Norris winner , was partially blamed for the team’s poor performance , was not only traded , but was not traded for a center .. what the team has been crying for. Every single GM has a decent center on their team . I’m not saying a super star center ., thry are rare .. but a capable center .l every team has 1 , except montreal .. unacceptable ..

      • Ralph Segreto says

        Certainly, UFA’s change teams. The example you gave of Chevaldayoff losing Ladd is one. But Chevaldayoff had players coming up that could replace Ladd. I personally think Trevor Timmins has done a good job given the number of picks and where those picks have been. Development hasn’t been good, whereas in Winnipeg, both the drafting and development are good. That’s part of the GM’s job too. I haven’t criticized Bergevin for those gambles he’s taken where it just hasn’t worked out. That happens to everyone and if you’re right 6 times out of 10 you’re doing well. I think he’s done a rather poor job of laying the groundwork for a continuing successful franchise. Hiring friends and guys you’ve played with in the past is not good management. Why was Nic Carriere hired to be an assistant with St. John’s? His record at the Division or III level (whatever it was at SUNY Buffalo State) was a highlight of mediocrity. My beef is he doesn’t know how to build an organization, or at least he’s proven incapable of it. The decisions have continued to deteriorate and there’s nothing to suggest they’ll get better.

  • Lou Robertson says

    Good comments from Tony Sollazzo on this thread…

    For the first 3 yrs MB was almost a semi-God in Mtl. Local boy returning home. Everybody liked him instantly. Got rid of the old wood and in return got draft picks. He’s a genius the fan base said. Another Sam Pollock is back the base sang in capella. Social media in Montreal petitioned to get him a statue asap. Then, one year, he did what he is paid for. He traded a player. WTF! A star player the base shout. Was is a winner of 4 Norris trophies? Nope. 2 Stanley cups? Nope. Only one Norris under his belt from a very short season boys and girls. Jesus Subban traded. OMG! The player who can skate on water. Let’s hang Bergevin the base said. He’s incompetent and he will destroy our team the fans said. He must go. All we gets from him is 3-4 line players. We don’t care if hockey has changed. We don’t understand the CBA and salary cap ? Who cares… LET’S FIRE MARC BERVEVIN.

    Guess what…

    I’m 52 yrs old. I have not sat my ass in more hockey rinks than Grant McCagg but mine is still frozen from my youth as a player and later as a coach. I have enough of the 3-4-5 years revolving door issues in Mtl with General Manager’s so called incompetencies. I have enough of the degrading comments from the journaliststia mob in Mtl. I have enough of the @#$/ corsi analysises – it doesn’t work for hockey done by fans. I have enough of all the stupid web sites created by 20yrs kids who never played the game, nor coached or managed a ping-pong league.

    I was ready to blow up that team last April. I still do. This article is dead on. Please leave Bergevin alone. He knows what he’s doing and he has more experience in hockey than you and I .

    Another excellent article Brian. Happy New Year. All the best for you and your family.

    • Ralph Segreto says

      It’s taken Ray Shero 2 years to turn around a worse team than the Habs in New Jersey. It doesn’t take 5 years to fix something (yes, some luck helps but you make most of your own luck). I agree with you that I was ready to blow up the team 2 years ago. The question I pose now is, “is the team better or worse than it was 2 years ago talent wise” and why would you trust the guy who got the team to that stage to correct it today? Bergevin’s made his worst mistakes in the last 2 years. Or at least he’s been exposed more in the last 2 years. The product on the ice is a reflection of his management skills. Timmins has done a good job the last couple of drafts so there will be some quality coming on stream soon, but remember that Timmins wasn’t hired by Bergevin, he was inherited. There isn’t enough quality in the management group to achieve success.

      • Brian Wilde says

        It did take 2 years for Shero. He’s done well. It also took Bergevin 1 year to win a division title. It also took Poile 35 years to get to the final. Rutherford looked like an idiot in Carolina at the end and in Pittsburgh he was back to being a genius.

        They’re all the same. They all suck and they don’t suck.

        They aren’t really any different but sentiment is what it is so you’ll eventually be right …. they’re hired to be fired.

        • Ralph Segreto says

          I wonder, if you look at the GMs who are still around who didn’t have success early on, David Poile being a good example, if there were ownership problems and difficulties funding right to the CAP limit with those teams. That would put the GM under some difficult pressure so even if they were above average, they’d have one hand tied behind their back. This Nashville team has had some good seasons since 2010/11 when the ownership went local. Is Pierre Dorion a good GM? It’s really hard to tell given his budget.

        • Marco M says

          Well Habs went from a lottery team in 2012 (Galchenyuk draft) to a Kreider incident away from going to the finals in 2014 under Bergevin.

          Our mistake is sometimes thinking he didn’t build the team. He did, it failed for various reasons, and it’s time to move on.

  • ok says

    Interesting article, only thing I would say is that comparison is apt if you think the habs are just 1 of 31 teams, then they can operate like the average franchise. However if you believe them to be the flagship franchise of the NHL then the gm is held to a different standard and more is expected. He’s not only measured against his peers but he’s also measured against the Selke’s and Pollock’s who unfortunately wouldn’t qualify for the position currently.

    • Brian Wilde says

      If their opponents would put them on a pedestal and lay down for them then they would have that advantage. Their opponents don’t step down for them or hold them in esteem or give them a competitive advantage. What this is is very common in my communication with fans and even media. It’s known as entitlement. One has a sense that they should somehow be better than others and that they are entitled to this measure of greatness. They are not because no one who is outside of that entitlement believes they are entitled to any advantage. Therefore this is false though that doesn’t stop people from believing in it.

  • Marco M says

    I’m going to propose a theory. One that I’ve been thinking about for some time, and you guys might think I’m crazy or giving Bergevin too much credit but I’m open to debate.

    I think Bergevin realized the writing was on the wall for this team after the epic collapse that was 15–16. It became clear at that point that without Price playing at a super human level this team could not win, despite having Subban and Pacioretty. People brought up the idea of retooling after last year and early this year. I think Bergevin started thinking that way during 15-16. It explains a few things in my mind:

    1. The trade. I don’t buy the “they hated Subban” narrative or they “couldn’t handle his personality”. If that was the case they would have moved him for a lot less than what they got. I think they were looking at a player who had a no move clause kicking in. That combined with his cap hit made his contract an albatross for a team looking to retool. And if 15-16 proved anything it was that Carey Price can single handedly win you games, but Subban could not (and that’s not meant as a slight against Subban, but it’s reality); if he had to pick a big money contract he picked Price over Subban. It explains why he wanted so much from Edmonton for Subban. I think Poile came along, offered Weber, and that created an intriguing proposition: a true #1 for #1 swap, with the advantage of a lower cap hit ($7.5M vs $9M), and should he retire Nashville eats the cap hit. Bergevin decided to take it. Again I don’t see the trade as being Bergevin taking the coach’s side because what happened with Price last year and subsequently Thierrien getting fired from a first place team shows that isn’t how he operates. I’m not going to debate that Subban is better than Weber because he’s not. He’s different, but both are true #1 D. Period.

    2. The Markov / Radulov situation. Both wanted big dollar multi year deals in their 30s. It makes sense to me that a GM looking to retool would draw a hard line which he wouldn’t cross in that circumstance when it came to those contracts. The Radulov situation is interesting and I think the player isn’t being totally forthcoming in that case, but that’s just my opinion.

    3. The cap space. Assuming no big contracts are picked up there will be $14 million available. That’s more than enough room to pick up an impact player or players. There was no one that fills the Habs needs available this offseason, besides Markov/Radulov and that was discussed above. I don’t think he’s sitting on that much cap space just because and he’s clearly made active moves to maximize the cap space. Don’t forget it also allows him to acquire draft picks in exchange for cap relief for other teams.

    4. His current seeming inaction. For a fan base that is calling for a retool or rebuild, getting into a rage after every loss is somewhat disingenuous. You have to lose and be a lottery team this season. Making stop-gap deals that don’t fully address the holes we have doesn’t help anything. Players like Max should be traded closer to the deadline or at the draft if you want to retool.

    I’m glad to debate but please bring forward good arguments, not just things like “Bergevin is stupid”.

    • Brian Wilde says

      We never get to know so much. We accept narratives and we are never in the board room to know the truth. So who knows I guess I am saying. If you’re right then the Price no move is next September. Let’s see what happens

      • Marco M says

        Its true that I’m speculating a lot. But for that deal to happen, especially when it is known that ownership may have intervened on a behalf of the player in the past, there had to be a bigger reason than “I don’t like him.”

  • Sean Kraus says

    I liked him in his 1st 3 yrs.
    (he brought some shine back)
    His last 3 yrs. to me have been ordinary.
    (Ordinary is backward in his job).
    In my view he has spent so much time insulating himself so that he can focus on his job, that his attraction to an “r” factor is greater than his ability to see that many of his friends are not qualified to do their jobs, and the term and money he has given to non-revenue producing employees, makes it diificult for Molson to clean house.
    He has become a ‘party to’ and ‘conducter of’ the dark pool that Montreal’s hockey market in lean times is. Less than hockey.
    If we compare our talent in best range if you will:
    1-6
    7-12
    13-25
    25-40
    40 and beyond.
    After 6 years the evaluator of talent that we were told was excellent, isn’t.
    He is tired and frustrated.

  • Dan Gordon says

    Though I usually agree with most of your comments, I think you are off the mark on this one. Montreal’s entire management team needs to go, Timmins excepted. Bad trades, the worst coaching at all levels. Therrien and Julien are dinosaurs that do not understand where the league is going and Bergevin hired them. If the window was the next couple of years while our core players were at their prime, then the management team completely missed the boat. I like Weber, but Subban was a key to success. Sergachev for Druin was a terrible trade of a stud defenceman for a 2nd line winger (not a center). The Canadiens are headed in the wrong direction and need management that know what they are doing.

  • Yanick Blanchette says

    Ok, so a top 10 pick, plenty of under 25s under team control for foreseeable future, a franchise QB in net, plenty of picks, Pleky goodbye in Feb, money to spare and assets to trade. Why would MB lose his job? NHL is the new 2-year retool NFL.

  • Darren Dembicki says

    Yep. Time to make some changes. First trade Bergy makes will tell us if he ( and Molson) are committed to building a long term winner. I’m happy to be patient with youth & excitement for the future. Anything else is just wasting time no to mention the career of Price.

  • Dave Trembley says

    The critical needs of the team were apparent at elimination time last year, and in years previous to that. They need offence. In fairness to Bergevin, he did try to add offence with the Drouin trade, but I believe he messed up in the negotiations with Markov and Radulov. In fact, his comments about Radulov’s agent, and the “first come first serve ultimatum” to the two players were wrong. He had no business making those remarks. Markov stated he felt “disrespected” by Bergevin because there was no possibilty of negotiation, no pathway to even have a discussion. This was also wrong, presenting the contract as a take or leave it offer. Who wouldn’t feel disrespected?

    The consequences of those actions are what you see on the ice right now. A bad team going not only going nowhere, but now facing the possibility of making further bad moves in a attempt to right the ship.

    The fireable offence criteria or comparables in you article is also a bit curious because there is no objective standard. Teams fire their management or coaches when they don’t like the direction things are going or when they fail to live up to expectations. That is all. The Cleveland Browns just today retained their coach after an 0-16 season, but a few years ago, the Denver Broncos fired theirs after he took them to the Super Bowl. Marc Bergevin has brought the Montreal Canadiens no where close to winning a Cup in six years, they are further away now than anytime in the past few years, but the LA Kings fired Dean Lombardi after he won them not one, but two Cups. If the Habs ownership is satisfied with the direction of the team, if the team is meeting their expectations, then by all means Bergevin’s the man to lead them.

    • Ralph Segreto says

      Good points. I stand by my assertion that he hasn’t built a good foundation. It isn’t about one egregious mistake here or there. It’s about having good people and evaluators in the organization providing quality input. I see far too many friends or colleagues from connections in prior years whose CV’s indicate no record of success but rather a succession of failures and mediocrity. Will there be one mistake that gets him fired? LIkely not, but there will be (we’re seeing it) death by a thousand cuts as more bad decisions follow the occasional good ones. The trend is not our friend in this case.

    • J. Taylor says

      Subban was not going to be traded for a center. Teams with $9m in cap space available were few and far between, not one with a comparable talent at the C position was forthcoming. The smart thing to do was keep Subban and build around him.

      Interesting the same day and only minutes apart Shero was able to sell the Oilers on Larsson for Hall. Chiarelli was said to have no interest in Subban as he could not afford to take on the contract after signing all his young talent at forward.

  • michael Pelkonen says

    Oh please. Where do i start.no rose colored glasses here.just reality.bergy traded a mobile ,allstar ,young ,charismatic team leader with tons of seat filling ability and endless skill in Subban for older long long term contract at an older age in weber. Wrong move.
    Tells the media about radulov,markov if you want loyalty buy a dog while negociating with them.if bergy had more respect and treated markov properly and not tryed to steamroll him cuz he had no agent,good and paid him a mill or so more,markov would still be here.radulov,offer him a front loaded 5 yr deal,making up for the exchange in the dollar,kiss his butt,make him feel hes a huge part of the team,good chance radulov stays. Alzner,nuff said. 9 mill cap space unused while thier more holes then swiss cheese on the roster,unexceptable!!!! In yr 6 and not making the playoffs. Paying a 30 yr old injury prone goalie,whose won F all in the league in 10 yrs,80 mill for 8 yrs.F up.who builds around a 30 yr old goalie. All adds up o FIRE BERGEVIN.

  • michael Pelkonen says

    Off subject. The draft systems currently is wrong.as is it has a loophole that encourages tanking.ask buff,edm,tor. The bottom 5 lotto needs to go. Put all 31 teams in a hat the day after reg ssn ends,draw out 1 to 31, theres ur draft order.eliminates tanking.imagine matthews with the habs or mcdavid with the pens,couldve happened.fairer system that way for all.

  • Richard McAdam says

    The turning point in the minds of many fans (and some in the media, new/traditional/social alike) was the Subban trade. There is a clear line in the sand for so many as to how they perceived Bergevin before the trade, and after it. Some mainstream media sources have become so transparent in their contempt for Bergevin and longing for Subban that some should honestly pull up stakes and move to Nashville to cover the Nashville PK Subbans. It’s become unreadable content because it’s the same narrative over and over.

    Before THE TRADE, Bergevin was treated fairly in the press and was indeed often praised for moves. The deals that didn’t pan out in the long run (i.e. Vanek) were given the treatment that it was better to have it be a short-term letdown than a long-term blunder. People really liked Josh Gorges, but nobody jumped all over Bergevin for trading a potential future captain who was respected by all of his teammates–they saw that Gorges’ best days might have been behind him, so even though the return was merely a 2016 2nd rounder, they moved on quickly. They didn’t get mad that Gorges refused to go to the Leafs so that Bergevin could acquire Cody Franson.

    But, oh, since all the drama of the brutal 2015-16 season that culminated in trading Subban, things have changed. Every deal, every signing, every blink, every misstep, it is all through the prism of “this man traded away Subban and since I think that was bad, everything else he does is bad.” The narrative-pushers are loud and ready to be critical at every turn, regardless of facts and never really putting up alternatives that would be better for the team. Yes, the Alzner signing was bad. But if you look at what was available on July 1st and knowing that he’d already lost Markov, Beaulieu, and Emelin, Bergevin needed to do something to get NHL people on his blue line. Shattenkirk never really appeared to be an option (that free will thing Brian referenced?) and there wasn’t much else out there. Kulikov? Russell? Daley? Girardi? Would any of these guys have improved the Habs blue line? He was able to get Schlemko (nobody could have forecast him breaking a hand in training camp), Jerabek, who had interest from a few times, and Morrow came cheap. Morrow was a known commodity to Julien and probably would have been all right as a 7th D-man working his way up the lineup, but injuries happened. So Bergevin has to go out there and put on the brave face saying that the blueline is better this year, when we all know it’s really not, but what is he supposed to do?

    It seems that voices get amplified easier these days. One putz can spread rumours about Carey Price and all of a sudden his wife has to go on social media to put out a fire that should never have existed in the first place. So too it is with the “fire Bergevin” brigade. It’s easy to say when the team is bad. It’s his fault. It’s not the guys we like on the ice playing below capabilities. It’s the guy that traded Subban. This bunch of rabble is here and Subban’s not. Subban would save everything. So after each loss, #FireBergevin starts trending again while people who never played the game and never managed anything other than an XBox endlessly analyze that we can get Tavares for de la Rose, Lindgren, and a 2nd but Bergevin is too dumb to make it happen. You know, if Subban were here, he could take to Tavares and edge him in that direction–they played together as kids and are best friends. Instead, Tavares will probably just go to Nashville.

    My confidence in Bergevin has taken a hit this year, but I don’t think we’re near that firing point yet. This isn’t Pierre Gauthier at-the-end bad. It’s not great. But the team is coming off another division win and 103 points. Yes they fizzled in the playoffs because Bergevin couldn’t acquire a scoring forward without mortgaging the future (just imagine how cheesed some would be if he traded Hudon/Lehkonen/Carr to get that “proven forward” and they only won a round or two?) and yes this season seems lost. But you don’t just turf the GM because you mis-read the tea leaves and miss the playoffs. If that happened the NHL would be a perennial revolving door of GM’s going new places every year. Yes, this is the Montreal Canadiens and people over 45 still expect that this team should win the Stanley Cup every year because they did it in a bygone era that hasn’t existed in generations. We aren’t like Arizona who can be content to just be in the NHL. We want to win. Now. Tomorrow. Forever.

    But that dumbass traded Subban and now we’re doomed to not win.

    • Brian Wilde says

      That’s some pretty smart stuff right there I think. And I think I agree. It’s amazing to me because this trade is Subban for Weber, not Erat for Forsberg. Wild.

  • Stewart Dowbiggin says

    just because many in the NHL braintrust community get by on their ability to survive with back slapping and glad handing doesn’t mean they are some group of elite hockey minds. Fireable offences are rarely based on producing poor on ice products. These guys cultivate their buddies–drinking or otherwise–so the only time their get fired is when they find themselves being isolated for breaking some unwritten code. This friggin guy had 6 years with THE hallmark franchise in the sport, resources that have few limits and a devoted fan base. We now have a team HE describes as a “cluster” team. Shooting for the playoff and then hoping for a series of accidents to clear the way to the cup. That’s all he could do for a variety of reasons that are too numerous to mention. Comparing him to Nashville and DC’s GM is an insult to Canadiens fans. He is not qualified for the Habs job and his track record proves it. And maybe now Molson will take notice because as the story told by morning show host Mckenna indicates people don’t care. Conor related going to a local pub on Sat game day that is usually brimming with pre game excitement. Instead he said, some of the screens weren’t even set up for fans to watch and mostly bar patrons weren’t even there for that. We have different standards here and he should be held to them.

  • Neil Pearce says

    Mr. Wilde I would like to again thank you for a great , thought provoking article. After much consideration, and while I concede you make some valid points, I have to disagree with your conclusion. For me, your argument fails since you are comparing MB against all GMs, instead of comparing him against GMs who have a better track record. Let me explain. Let’s look at Jim Nill in Dallas. While Mr. Nill has made some good and not so good moves, no one can argue the validity and sometimes obvious thought process of most of the decisions he’s made. Dallas is usually a competitive team, balanced on both sides of the ice. Ken Holland .. Same thing. Yes, you will have good years and struggling years while doing a built, but decisions made , as a whole, lead too a better team. Even now when they struggle, it was expected, as Mr. Holland begins to rebuilt his team. No one questions his drafting, his building philosophy. You mentioned Edmonton . Peter Chiraelli.. A guy who built a champion in Boston.. A team that basically improved each year, became a contender .. And went on to a cup. Yes, he had some bad moves , and some good ones.. But the direction of the team was obvious. He then took over an Edmonton team.. A non playoff team for years, and has built them in a short time to a team expected to contend. I can go on. On the other side, Garth Snow is not a good GM.. The islanders have not been a true contender for years. He’s failed to built around John Taveres to a point where he may lose him in the offseason. Ron Hextall is not a good GM looking at the flyers performances. Brendan Shannan can be seen as a good president in the way, the process he has used to rebuilt the leafs. Stan bowman can be seen as a good GM in how he can manage the cap, dump good players and make signings to keep the Hawks as contenders. MB is not a good GM.. After 6 yrs, the team has no identity.. And not many great pieces to move to rebuilt. Price and Weber have , 2-3 great years to play together, . Looking at age. Price was here when MB arrived , Weber was had for an asset acquired before MB. Our AHL team, has maybe 1 top 6 guy and a bunch of bottom pairing defense.. The whole of his work is revealing, not one or two bad moves or signing.

  • Moe says

    Bergevin is in the bottom 1/4 of the league in regards to all the other GM’s! Possibly the worst GM in the league the last 2/3 years. Older/slower, less talent/more grit.

    It’s a a joke Brian! How you can defend him after the moves he’s made is sickening! He’s treatment of Andrei Markov, PK, Radulov. Drouin for Sergachev. All BAD! #FireBergevin #yourfoxholebuddy #FireMolson

  • Peter McIntosh says

    Just watching Senators-Lightning…so the Habs could have Subban and Sergachev on the blue line now with Juulsen and Mete coming. Ouch.

  • Olivier Paul-Hus says

    I don’t mind Alzner too much. Cost of doing business. If team was scoring goals no one would mind. But now being able to address the center ice when others have, the Weber / Subban trade are fireable offences. Price contract may be too.

  • Yannick St-Pierre says

    At first I was a big fan of Bergevin. The past 2 years I got to say I’m pretty disappointed. Radulov was arguably the best player to play in Montreal in the last 10 years. He’s a proven veteran, he’s been good all is life and to me he was the identity of the team. Play’s hard every night and is winning battles along the board.

    The first thing I said when we signed him was why not 2 years. How big of a gamble was it ?? Also Radulov should have been our number 1 priority this summer and he wasn’t. Alzner was a pretty bad signing and I think Bergevin overvalue D that have a similar play style that he had back in the days. A bit slow, though, block shots with little offensive abilities.

    We gave Barberio and Andrighetto and we should have been more patient with those 2. Both could be helping the team right now.

    Also, Bergevin was heavily involve in Bonino signing last summer. Let’s say we got saved on this one.

  • David G says

    I am sorry Brian but any assessment of Bergevin must go through an assessment of his two biggest trades, which are both losses.
    -Subban is a better and younger player than Weber with a better contract, and Bergevin did not get any further compensation than a one-to-one deal.
    -Getting Drouin is not bad but the timing was bad because Sergachev will be a top 2 D for 10+ years at the left side, Mtl’s weakest position.
    Further things you don’t mention:
    -I agree with your assessment of the Radulov situation, but Markov’s is not the same. Bergevin low-balled Markov because he underestimated his contribution, and now look where the Left D position is. Furthermore, Markov is as much a habs legend as you can be in this generation; least could have been for him to finish his career in Mtl.
    Finally, there is probably no such thing as a trade that is in itself a fireable offence, so the premise is not that helpful. I think Bergevin is a smart man and a great GM, but that the pressure of having his window close on him has got to him (desperation moves, reduced communication with the media), and that he is not fit to be the GM of this team anymore. In other words, he needs a fresh start.
    But the most worthy discussion I think in all this centres on Molson:
    -why does he give such long deals to his management?
    -is he ready for a rebuild, which we all know the hockey team needs?
    -does he want to continue ripping off poor quebecers with incredibly high ticket prices?
    -does he care more about condo buildings or the hockey team?

  • Brian says

    Who sign Tomas Plekanec to a 2 year @ 6 million per year extension. That alone is a fireable offense! The Sergachev deal is fireable, and leaving 9.5 Million dollars on the table in this time of crisis is again a fireable offense…. that cant be argued or debated.

  • Blair Daggett says

    Strikes me the biggest mistake he made was the “want loyalty, get a dog” comment.

    How can he sell the difference that makes Montréal great? I know times have changed. Nevertheless, as a fan, I want to believe players believe in the CH. if the boss doesn’t believe, how can he get the players onside?

  • Mark N Kraminer says

    When he first arrived he said he would build a team like Detroit big fast strong and with character.
    We’re not close to that.
    If we manage to win a game we are listless and usually lose the following 1 ot two games unless Price at his best

  • DD says

    Voila. Another example of someone drinking the cool-aid. Letting go of UFA’s is not an offence worthy of a firing directly. Ok. Instead of trying to argue this point why not write about what is worthy of a firing.
    During MB tenure (5 plus years/6 drafts):
    Lifeblood of any NHL organization is their prospect pool and AHL club. Prospect pool = null/void (only top prospect traded to TB)
    AHL affiliate playoff games played: 4 (Lost series 3-1 btw)
    JUST THIS IS SUBJECT to TERMINATION.
    The mere fact that G. Molson accepts these two points shows;
    a) his loyalty/friendship far outweighs common sense
    b) he’s clueless
    Kudos to those who wrote logical thoughts and refuse to be lured into this sense of entitlement BS and the lies that are spewed directly into the camera lens.
    Let’s continue. PK Subban. Whether you like the trade or not, it doesn’t matter. The fact that MB made this deal because he thought he was in a win now mode…bahahahaahahah. Just that thought process is flawed and subject to him being TERMINATED. It means that MB looked at his team and thought he had the team to contend and that his squad would be better without PK. Pure lunacy. It has never been a playoff team. This squad has more holes than swiss cheese and a d-corps worthy of Dallas Stars hockey 94-95. But it’s 2018 stupid. He has continued to decimate his D corps to the point that instead of having PK, Markov, Sergachev, Petry, Emelin it has been reduced to Weber, Petry, person x, person y, Alzner and a boatload of 6/7 d-men. You build your team from the top down so as to create competition for your lineup. Not the other way around. Seriously, do any of you need more ammunition if you are the owner of a billion dollar organization to fire this incompetent fool?!
    As I said, I would have fired him over the first point but let’s continue. Why are you comparing MB to other GM/s.? So they let UFA’s go so MB is vindicated?! Excuses. This is a Ferris wheel of players that were either let go or traded for someone else with the end result being, nothing of value coming back to insert into your lineup: Briere, Parenteau, Vanek, Semin, Kassian, Radulov, Hemsky, Bourque, Sekac , Markov, not to mention the endless parade of 4th liners he’s brought in to make them heavier. Hahaha. Obviously, he’s lost as hell because if he was right then at least some of these players would still be on this shit team.
    Let’s add giving Price (31 yo) over 10M$ for 8 YEARS. This for a goalie who has had his share of injuries and has won 4 playoff rounds his whole career. Enjoy mediocrity and this pile of garbage. Im tired of writing. Over and out.

  • Christopher OBrien says

    This is crazy. He singlehandely took apart a very good defence. Traded the first star the Habs have had since Lafleur trading for an aging one dimensional defenceman with a good shot. Radulov was our best/most consistent player last year. Bergevin could not sign two players already playing in a Habs jersey. They traded our only stud drafted that Timmins somehow tripped over for a player that was sent to the minors 7 months ago. Bergevin and his 10 asst GM’s have to go, along with Trevor Timmins who has screwed up 1st round after 1st round pick. Timmins has been there for 15 years!!! That is nuts. Is this IBM? The players in Laval are clearly not being developed.
    And this organization would rather keep JJ Daigneault than Larry Robinson. What is it going to take for Geoff Molson to act?

  • Brian Proctor says

    Happy New Year Brian.
    IMO, his arrogance and closed-minded to trades vs working through the draft has cost the team.
    Looking into the team’s minor system is like looking into the abyss when searching for talent.
    For a man who believed that you couldn’t have too many defencemen, he has done a remarkable job of desecrating the D that the team had. OK, aside from one of the brightest on the blue line in Markov, and the most mobile and talented in PK, perhaps none other was a stud. But they were certainly superior to this year’s fiasco.
    I would suggest rather that Goeff Molson, for whom I hold tremendous respect, should step aside and give the reigns to an outside VP with true hockey pedigree.
    This new VP’s first move will likely be to thank MB for his services.