Speculation: A Critical Analysis of the Bergevin Regime: by Ezpz

[Miller Time]

I was going to do a more detailed analysis of the cap structure but I wanted to go to sleep. I spent a couple days going through various sources to do the rest of the post. I didn't factor in dead cap in Weal or Alzner, and you're right, that would make it even more abhorrent.

Mostly you'll find that most cup winners have the same sort of structure with their top 6 making the bulk of the money and usually only 2 or 3 highly paid Dmen. It's uncommon(I didn't see it in the 9 years I sampled) won the cup paying more than 3 dmen a high salary. That seems to be the way to make sure you're a competing team. "Defense wins championships" isn't shown statistically in the NHL from what I went through. The Pens went back-to-back with barely an NHL-caliber defenseman in their lineup.

This piece alone is a fireable offense...

while some fell victim to the "let them eat cake" affect of "doing something" in the offseason, the reality is that the Allen signing, compounded by the extension, while great a vacuum ignoring cap realities, was not a smart move... 15M$ of cap, in a year where you have 4.5M$ in dead money already, for goalies??
ditto Edmundson... adding 3.5M$ to the depth dman cap burden, while continuing to have a major talent gap in quality top-4 caliber dmen.

Absolutely horrendous management of the cap, and, as is being exposed, all for the purpose of icing a borderline playoff team roster that folds with any bit of adversity.

FFWD to the 2022-23 season, if one does a deep dive of the likely cap situation there (minus some heavy lifting to offload some of the brutal deals he's saddled us with), we could be staring at an even worse situation that will directly impact our ability to manage and negotiate proper, tactical RFA extensions btw now and then to Suzuki, Romanov, Caufield, JKO, Evans, Primeau (and any of Poehling/Ylonen/Brook or any other prospect who may progress to NHLer worthy of locking up by then). He's really built a cluster F*** of a cap situation that will take a competency in planning and roster building that he has shown not to possess, to get us out from under.

the sooner we make a change, the less further damage he can create.

 

[didimentionlarseller]

Well done this summary gave me flashbacks

 

[BLONG7]

Not being able to build a proper D corps has without a doubt, caused so many issues for the Habs.
Bergevin is so enthralled with jouneymen D style of guys, he forgot you need star type Dmen. Guys who can move the puck out and up from our zone.
It's our D that is soooo inadequate this year. Big immobile guys.....are they the perfect fit for the playoffs? If we make it, we will know soon.

 

[Habs]

TLR version / Bergevin blows , always has blown , and will continue to blow.

 

[Seb]

All the trade deadlines where Bergevin gets the most vanilla fringe bottom 6 or washed up players have showed us what kind of GM he is. You go in these threads and whine/criticize Bergevin about it but there's always people jumping in, even after near a decade of this never-ending crap, defending the trades because after all, he hasn't given up anything valuable so it can't be bad. But these people always seem to ignore that the reason why these trades are bad isn't because he lost them, it's because he has been focusing on them all the f***ing time while there are pressing needs that have never been addressed or worse, he created.

No one would whine about them if Bergevin had a god damn clue about how to built a competitive team.

Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

 

[ThaDevilGirl]

All the trade deadlines where Bergevin gets the most vanilla fringe bottom 6 or washed up players have showed us what kind of GM he is. You go in these threads and whine/criticize Bergevin about it but there's always people jumping in, even after near a decade of this never-ending crap, defending the trades because after all, he hasn't given up anything valuable so it can't be bad. But these people always seem to ignore that the reason why these trades are bad isn't because he lost them, it's because he has been focusing on them all the f***ing time while there are pressing needs that have never been addressed or worse, he created.

No one would whine about them if Bergevin had a god damn clue about how to built a competitive team.

Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

But he traded for Vanek that one year

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

All Hail Marc the Mediocre...makes Jay Feaster look competent...

 

[Theodore450]

After 2018 we realLy see the bias of your posts start to emerge, still thanks for your opinion and breakdown

 

[didimentionlarseller]

But he traded for Vanek that one year

that was the high point of Bergevin for me

 

[dcyhabs]

All the trade deadlines where Bergevin gets the most vanilla fringe bottom 6 or washed up players have showed us what kind of GM he is. You go in these threads and whine/criticize Bergevin about it but there's always people jumping in, even after near a decade of this never-ending crap, defending the trades because after all, he hasn't given up anything valuable so it can't be bad. But these people always seem to ignore that the reason why these trades are bad isn't because he lost them, it's because he has been focusing on them all the f***ing time while there are pressing needs that have never been addressed or worse, he created.

No one would whine about them if Bergevin had a god damn clue about how to built a competitive team.

Thanks for listening to my TED talk.

It's not just the focus it's that the team gets stuck playing the deadline acquisition guys and they are not good. If the coach plays them because he asked for them then stop asking the coaches who to get.

 

[OldCraig71]

that was the high point of Bergevin for me

Yeah and then Therrible played him on the 4th line lol.

 

[Ezpz]

Nice job laying this out.

I think the real issue was that Bergevin wasn't ready and that he did not hire the best people instead he hired his pals.

I do think, though I didn't note it, when Dudley left the team started making much better roster and personnel decisions. That's why I'm iffy on whether or not to fire Bergevin at this very moment for a couple of reasons.

1. I don't see any sort of successor in the organization or in other organizations who are not already GMs.
2. Bergevin is transparent with the media. Not in that he tells the truth, but he acknowledges them. In my opinion Gauthier was actually not that bad of a GM, but his charisma was negative and it overshadowed his capabilities.
3. He's coming off his best year where he showed clear progress from his own standpoint. Though his deadline was more of the same, we were at least hindered by the cap this time around.

I didn't even note that he wasted 9 mil of cap space for multiple seasons after letting Markov and Radulov walk. There's a few more points I could use to point to mismanagement in the past. The main issue going forward is Price and Weber are cooked or just about. Can Bergevin navigate that into a rebuild or re-tool successfully? I wouldn't bet money on it.

 

[Tyson]

I do think, though I didn't note it, when Dudley left the team started making much better roster and personnel decisions. That's why I'm iffy on whether or not to fire Bergevin at this very moment for a couple of reasons.

1. I don't see any sort of successor in the organization or in other organizations who are not already GMs.
2. Bergevin is transparent with the media. Not in that he tells the truth, but he acknowledges them. In my opinion Gauthier was actually not that bad of a GM, but his charisma was negative and it overshadowed his capabilities.
3. He's coming off his best year where he showed clear progress from his own standpoint. Though his deadline was more of the same, we were at least hindered by the cap this time around.

I didn't even note that he wasted 9 mil of cap space for multiple seasons after letting Markov and Radulov walk. There's a few more points I could use to point to mismanagement in the past. The main issue going forward is Price and Weber are cooked or just about. Can Bergevin navigate that into a rebuild or re-tool successfully? I wouldn't bet money on it.

Its time to cut your losses with this GM. He has had enough time and it's clear this organization needs new leadership.

 

[Bouboumaster]

We haven't had a play driver since.

And he was the first since? Kovalev? who was the first since??

And kovalev was a headcase (god love him in spite of that). Radulov wasn't.

But even worse MB said: it's ok that Radulov isn't back, we got Drouin, who I'd take over Radulov anyways. We needed to add offense to Radulov, who was single handedly carrying the team on his back. Instead the moron goes out and replaces Radulov with Drouin, and Markov and Sergachev with Alzner and Schlemko...

I understand why Drouin was traded for... It wasn't great at the time and it's much worse now but at least there's a logic...

Doing NOTHING when it's about a 50/60 points players is unforgivable.
And being a douche to Markov was also puke worthy (and that's without saying how much ASS Alzner was)

Even Geoff Molson himself has less job security than what he gave to Bergevin lol

 

[Favster]

The best years of Berg's tenure were with the previous regime's core he inherited. That is a bad look. He's been in his position for nearly 10 years, time to move on IMO.

 

[BLONG7]

9 years guys..............9 years...............let it sink in....
We have all seen enough....
1 yr left on his 10 year deal.... ( 2 five year deals, one he did not deserve )
Fire him, and let's move forward, we have had ZERO results.

 

[Ezpz]

Its time to cut your losses with this GM. He has had enough time and it's clear this organization needs new leadership.

I definitely agree, just does anyone trust Molson to pick a good candidate? Or are we getting another smooth talking PR guy who is there to maximize revenues(which made trading Subban all the more stupid.)

 

[Milhouse40]

The philosophy of Bergevin was wrong.

His signings: Always ready to give that extra year or extra million to players like Byron, Prust, Shaw, Alzner and others. But when it comes to give that extra year or million to players like Radulov or a Top UFA, he completely refuse to do so.

His trades: For most part, his trades has been about getting rid of a player, not going after a player. The results of those trades, either good or bad were more a products of luck than his choices. We got a good return for Pacioretty, yet we almost got something completely different if Max accepted the LA deals, then again the idea was to get rid of Max or Galchenyuk, Eller, Subban and most of them. I think the Drouin, Shaw were the only Hockey trade where he actually was going for a player.

His drafting: Again his philosophy was always to try to fix a problem we have now with a pick for the future. That's lack of vision. We needed centers, yes it's a good thing to draft some, but that doesn't fix the problem. The problem is now, not in 4-5 years from now. That's and added pressure for the kids since the organization are only betting on them to fix the problems. The same thing for LD, drafted a bunch of them 2 years ago cause we were lacking of LD, but we're lacking of them 2 years ago, last year and this year. The problem is still there but acted like Romanov and others will fix the problem. That's wishful thinking.

The set-up is perfect for a new GM to come in this summer.
Lots of room to work considering the many picks we have, players under contract and x-draft. No coach to fire on top of that.
For me, said so many times, Mark Hunter is ready to be GM.
Montreal is ready to have a non-french GM too. He's an Ex-Habs which will also help swallow that pill for some.

Bergevin's philosophy will never change so as long as he is the GM, those flaws will live on.

 

[OnceWasNot]

I definitely agree, just does anyone trust Molson to pick a good candidate? Or are we getting another smooth talking PR guy who is there to maximize revenues(which made trading Subban all the more stupid.)

I don't trust Molson to make a good decision at all. He's not a hockey person, doesn't seem to care much about anything other than the team generating money which in Montreal is all but guaranteed for the foreseeable future no matter how bad the on-ice product is, and I highly doubt he has the ability to look around the league and see what makes a good GM candidate in the modern era of analytics, data, complex cap management, highly competitive scouting, etc.. He's also too spineless not to kowtow to language politics and will be picking from an artificially limited pool. We're probably similarly screwed with MB or with his replacement. More dark years ahead.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Well written and thought out post, @Ezpz. I agree with your analysis of Bergevin. He started off great, but his passiveness and the moves he doesn't make are way worse than the moves he has made.

 

[angusyoung]

Not knocking the hard work you put in to all this. But I do have some issues pertaining to what was once the class of the NHL and it's dignity and is now a disgrace to it's legendary players and builders. It's all gone now with the way the franchise is viewed upon and held in less esteem. Who is responsible for this? are we as fans also held accountable? Yourself included, you have perhaps the classiest man to ever don a Montreal Canadians jersey as your avatar and yet you start your synopsis with ''Hey Yo'' just seems a little bit disrespectful to a great legendary player that he was. imho

 

[peate]

Not knocking the hard work you put in to all this. But I do have some issues pertaining to what was once the class of the NHL and it's dignity and is now a disgrace to it's legendary players and builders. It's all gone now with the way the franchise is viewed upon and held in less esteem. Who is responsible for this? are we as fans also held accountable? Yourself included, you have perhaps the classiest man to ever don a Montreal Canadians jersey as your avatar and yet you start your synopsis with ''Hey Yo'' just seems a little bit disrespectful to a great legendary player that he was. imho

BINGO

 

[salbutera]

Very well done & thorough Ezpz.

FWIW -

- Chevaldayoff has been in place for 10-years: Jets have made playoffs 4-times and advanced past 1st round once

- Jim Nill has been in place for 8-years: Stars have made playoffs 4-times and advanced past 1st round 3-times (twice lost in 2nd round and last years Cup finals)

- MB has been in place for 9-years: Habs have made playoffs 5-times and advanced past 1st round twice

 

[salbutera]

Not knocking the hard work you put in to all this. But I do have some issues pertaining to what was once the class of the NHL and it's dignity and is now a disgrace to it's legendary players and builders. It's all gone now with the way the franchise is viewed upon and held in less esteem. Who is responsible for this? are we as fans also held accountable? Yourself included, you have perhaps the classiest man to ever don a Montreal Canadians jersey as your avatar and yet you start your synopsis with ''Hey Yo'' just seems a little bit disrespectful to a great legendary player that he was. imho

Mtl Canadiens haven’t been legendary for 40-years.

What made the Habs legendary starting with their first of 16-Cups in-25 years starting in 1953 was a combination of Selke’s ingenuity, Mtl being a dominant economic force as a city thus able to pay top dollar and lack of player autonomy.

Might be worth pointing out - Selke, a non-French speaking Anglo lured away from Leafs, joined Habs in 1947, after Mtl had won back-to-back Cups but were bleeding all kinds of money and in the red (there’s that business thing again - I thought winning = profitability?). Selke also went 5-seasons without winning anything...that era of rebuild.

Once money (after tax $) became a major differentiator between NHL teams (starting with Langway being the first to want out of Quebec to tax friendly US in 1982), and then player autonomy really kicked in post-1994 lockout, Mtl hasn’t stood a chance.

NMC/NTC make it next to impossible to lure to top end talent via trades, and UFA for top end players is a non-starter.... leaves the Habs with very limited means of finding that missing element they so desperately need....that offensive game changer

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Sums it up nicely.

Over analyzing his failure makes it sound like he had some sort of mosaic complicated task.

He took over a lottery team with the 3rd over all pick. Best goalie in the NHL. A Young D about to win the Norris trophy. Markov to play with that Norris trophy winner. A consistent 35 goal scoring winger just hitting his prime. All this came with a fair share of trade deadline day bate. Every GM could only dream of starting out with that !

He failed miserably. There is simply no disputing that.

Every GM in Canadiens history did (and was doing BETTER than Bergevin)..........WHEN they were fired.

The real question is what year should have he been fired 2016? 2017......2018 .

His legacy is firmly in place. It will be that he lowered the bar in Montreal. Albeit self serving.

Bettman once put a Cap on player salaries.

Marc Bergevin put a Cap on Canadiens fans expectations.

Add a very good two-way center, a rookie Gallagher and Erik Cole who scored 35 the year before.