CANADIENS NEED TO TAKE NEXT STEP AFTER INITIATING ‘RESET’ LAST SUMMER
Montreal should be thinking playoffs after 25-point improvement last season
Is the future finally now for the Canadiens?
That’s a question I asked GM Marc Bergevin when he met with the media Thursday afternoon at a Vancouver hotel ahead of Friday’s first round of the NHL Draft at Rogers Arena (8 p.m., SN, TVA Sports). Bergevin’s “reset” of the team last summer resulted in an impressive 25-point improvement in the standings, but the Canadiens still missed the playoffs for the second straight season, coming up two points short.
Is the GM prepared to do whatever is necessary at the draft — including a trade — and when free agency begins July 1 to get his team over the hump and give Canadiens fans some sort of hope for their first Stanley Cup since 1993?
“We did a reset, like you mentioned, and we brought some youth and I think it paid off,” Bergevin said. "You look at the playoffs, the team who a year ago won the Stanley Cup (the Washington Capitals) were out in the first round. Teams that you never thought would make the playoffs made the playoffs. So the league is changing more and more. It’s a younger league, it’s a faster league. The gap between the top teams and the bottom teams is not that big. So anything can make a difference.
“I remember being in St. Louis (on Jan. 10), they lost two nights before against Dallas,” Bergevin added about the Blues having the worst record in the NHL at the time before going on to win the Stanley Cup. "They were pretty much internally saying they were probably done and look what happened. So if you believe in each other and you have a good run, anything ’s possible.”
The Canadiens showed last season they do believe in each other after the GM made a major attitude adjustment by trading away captain Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk and bringing in Max Domi, Tomas Tatar and first-round draft pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Canadiens were fun to watch and never gave up, but they still came up short of making the playoffs and they’re going to need more help from their GM if they hope to make it next season. That help probably won’t come from the No. 15 overall pick Friday night.
“The player at 15 probably won’t play next season,” Bergevin said. "As far as adding (through free agency), yes I’m always looking to add, but I need to be responsible. Even now, the (salary) cap is not going as high as people think (next season). We have some young players coming through — KK (Kotkaniemi), Max Domi, even (Ryan) Poehling. If they progress the way we think they are, I hate to three years from now having to move one of those kids to make room for a guy that just signed a week from now that I can’t move. So I have to be very smart, but I will look at all the options.”
Bergevin still has some internal business to take care of, including signing restricted free agents Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia. The GM said they will both be signed and he’s hoping to avoid salary arbitration. Charles Hudon, another restricted free agent, has already turned down a qualifying offer, but Bergevin didn’t rule out the possibility of him staying with the team. As for unrestricted free-agent Jordie Benn, Bergevin said the defenceman has decided to test the open market. Bergevin didn’t rule out the possibility of buying out the final three seasons of defenceman Karl Alzner’s five-year, Us$23.125-million contract.
As for who might be the backup goalie to Carey Price next season, Bergevin said he will see what’s available on the free-agent market. Another tempting target on the free-agent market is offensive centre Matt Duchene, but he will come with a huge price tag and Bergevin wouldn’t comment on him.
When asked if his two priorities are to add an offensive forward and a left-shot defenceman to play with Shea Weber, Bergevin said: "I’d like to add a D. Up front, if it could make our team better, I sure will. I thought last year, overall, we did miss the playoffs, but I can say overall our team, our players played well. So I think if we could squeeze a couple of extra wins here and there we should be in good shape.”
Does Bergevin feel personal pressure to get his team in the playoffs next season?
“No,” he said. "I’m looking at where we were at two years ago, where we are now and the direction we’re going. Again, every year there’s good teams that do miss the playoffs and if you’re going to miss the playoffs and change everything and throw everything out the window, I think that’s dangerous. So I think we’re young, we’re fast and we have a lot of good things to show for.”
They certainly do, but the Canadiens still aren’t good enough. It will be interesting to see what the GM does about it.
The league is changing more and more. It’s a younger league, it’s a faster league. The gap between the top teams and the bottom teams is not that big.