BERGEVIN FLEECED THE HAWKS
Trade for Danault was big winner
This week we're looking at the five best trades in Canadiens history. Today, No. 3:
A little bit of local knowledge came in handy when Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin pulled off what has been his best trade to date.
The Canadiens weren't going anywhere during the 2015-16 season and that meant they were sellers at the trade deadline. Bergevin started shopping Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, two players who were in line to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Neither player fit into the Canadiens' plans, but the Chicago Blackhawks figured they were players who could come in handy during a playoff drive. Weise was on his way to a career season with 14 goals and 12 assists and, in two playoff seasons with the Canadiens, he had shown that he could score in the post-season. He also had the size and grit that are assets in tight-checking games.
Fleischmann was a streaky player with defensive shortcomings, but he offered experience and a strong work ethic.
Bergevin knew what he wanted in return. Prior to joining the Canadiens, he worked in the Blackhawks' front office and he was well acquainted with Phillip Danault, a first-round draft pick in 2011 whose career appeared to be stalled at age 23.
After three seasons in the AHL, he was in and out of the Blackhawks' lineup. He had one goal and four assists in 30 games, but Bergevin had scouted Danault when he was playing for Victoriaville in the QMJHL and knew he was capable of more.
“I saw him quite a few times and I recommended to (Chicago general manager Stan Bowman) that we select him with our first pick,” Bergevin said of Danault.
Bergevin was overruled by the team's director of amateur scouting who had his sights locked on Mark Mcneill, a centre from Prince Albert in the Western Hockey League. A strong performance at the world under-18 championship tipped the scales in Mcneill's favour and Chicago drafted him 18th overall.
The Blackhawks had another pick at No. 26 and used that to select Danault. Bergevin recalled that Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman was poised to pick Danault with the 27th pick.
When it came to scouting, Bergevin backed the right horse because Danault has established himself as a solid NHL player, while Mcneill headed to Austria last season after appearing in only two NHL games — one with Chicago and one with Dallas.
While there is a continuing debate over whether Danault is a No. 1 centre, he is the main reason why the Canadiens excel in 5-on-5 situations. He wins faceoffs in key situations, kills penalties and shuts down the opposition's top lines, which puts him in the conversation for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which goes to the best defensive forward in the NHL.
But Danault wasn't the only asset Bergevin secured in this deal on Feb. 26, 2016. He also asked for a draft pick and not just any draft pick. The Blackhawks offered a second-rounder and that was fine with Bergevin as long as it was a second-round pick in 2018. Why two years down the line? The Blackhawks were assured of a playoff berth in 2016 and that meant their second-round pick would be near the bottom of the second round, 52nd to be exact.
Bergevin also thought Chicago would make the playoffs in the 2016-17 season and they didn't disappoint. If the Canadiens had taken that pick, it would have been No. 57.
But Bergevin thought the Blackhawks would go into a decline the following season and, when they finished last in the Central Division, Montreal was handed the 38th overall selection, which the Canadiens used to draft defenceman Alexander Romanov.
The Russian has yet to play an NHL game but, if he comes close to matching the hype surrounding his arrival, this transaction will go into the books as a great trade.