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

Grate n Colorful Oz

Hutson Hawk
Jun 12, 2007
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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

His username is easy peasy, so you must be lemon-squeezy :sarcasm:
 

dcyhabs

Registered User
May 30, 2008
4,223
2,511
Montreal
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.

That is a very incisive analysis. It reinforces other comments that Bergevin has no plan or vision, he just reacts to situations. His reactions are getting better. It's time to start looking for a replacement. Bergevin is ripe for replacement but you have to have a good candidate.

The trades haven't been too bad but they haven't built anything. The signings/non-signings have been weak. You have to hope that we won't regret Toffoli and Anderson.

Not sure the Hunters would be interested. The Montreal media pressure is painful, and most GMs don't want to be recognized wherever they go.

I wonder how many other hockey markets have former rival coaches like Michel Bergeron as significant media personalities. So many ex-coaches and ex-players with axes to grind.
 
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widowmaker

Registered User
Jun 21, 2009
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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
Lol.... wow
 

peate

Smiley
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Feb 16, 2007
20,085
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Need a little history lesson>

Some notable Habs GM’s. Their tenure and results. Whatever happened after Serge Savard???

Léo Dandurand November 2, 1921 – September 17, 1935.
Won Stanley Cup 3 times in 4 finals appearances (1924, 1925, 1930, 1931)
4 division titles and 12 playoff appearances.

Tommy Gorman 1940 – July 1946
Won Stanley Cup 2 times (1944, 1946)
6 playoff appearances

Frank J. Selke July 10, 1946 – May 15, 1964
Won Stanley Cup 6 times (1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960)
Lost in Stanley Cup Finals 5 times (1947, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955)
17 playoff appearances

Sam Pollock May 15, 1964 – September 6, 1978
Won Stanley Cup 9 times (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978)
Lost in Stanley Cup Finals (1967)
3 conference titles, 7 division titles, and 13 playoff appearances

Irving Grundman September 6, 1978 – April 14, 1983
Won Stanley Cup (1979)
2 conference titles, 4 division titles, and 5 playoff appearances

Serge Savard April 28, 1983 – October 17, 1995
Won Stanley Cup 2 times in 3 finals appearances (1986, 1989, 1993)
3 conference titles, 4 division titles, and 11 playoff appearances

Réjean Houle October 21, 1995 – November 20, 2000
3 playoff appearances

Bob Gainey June 2, 2003 – February 8, 2010
1 division title and 4 playoff appearances

Marc Bergevin May 2, 2012 – present
3 division titles and 5 playoff appearances
 
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Lafleurs Guy

Guuuuuuuy!
Jul 20, 2007
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Cannot believe he did nothing to help the core of Subban, Max, Price, Markov, Gallagher and totally misused other players. Just awful.

Also tragic that Price got hurt in 15-16. We started the year incredibly strong. That was looking like another awesome year. Price gets hurt about a dozen games in and... we crash. And MB goes and gets some retread of a goalie. Just unbelievable.

For years we had no center (Galchenyuk not playing ahead of DD is just monstrously dumb) and then... we had no defense. He leaves gaping holes and then just hopes that Price will carry the day. It's been f***ing horrible.
 

Ezpz

No mad pls
Apr 16, 2013
14,768
10,801
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
Sorry I am younger than 50 and have a modern vocabulary. I guess I should practice my elegance and composure to speak the right way to be classy.
 
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Paddyjack

Registered User
Dec 10, 2007
2,896
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Sherbrooke
I posted this yesterday into another thread, but I'm reposting it here, because I think this thread is more appropriate. This video really describe my feelings about what is happening with this team in the past 8 years, under his tenure.

 

The Great Weal

Phil's Pizza
Jan 15, 2015
52,017
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I actually don't think Bergevin started off great. He was too scared to tank, and too scared to give up prospects/picks for meaningful help. He only got Petry and Vanek because they were dirt cheap. He was undecided on what to do and it bit him in the ass.
 

salbutera

Registered User
Sep 10, 2019
13,352
13,953
Need a little history lesson>

Some notable Habs GM’s. Their tenure and results. Whatever happened after Serge Savard???
4-major factors IMO:

- Serge Savard completely missed the boat on the fall of the Berlin Wall: teams that capitalized using late round picks on former USSR players (Mogilny, Fedorov, Bure, Larionov etc.) had considerable success in the 90s led by Det

- Drafting & development: nearly a 50-year broken record, post-1973 pick of Bob Gainey the Habs drafting record has been abhorrid - exceptions being 1984 & 2007 drafts, and the odd pick here & there.

Claude Ruel perhaps the greatest prospect development guru of all time in the NHL, retired after 93 Cup and Savard didn’t feel the need to replace him.....brilliance at its best! Perhaps he was drunk at the time or thinking of his stable of horses - spent lots of time hammered at his job as GM towards the end of his tenure - by his own public admission.

- Power of the US $: except Toronto, CDN teams were just not able to spend like their US counterparts due to exchange rates (which also lead to Win and QC moving to US). The superpower of the 90s - teams w owners willing to spend to unlimited limits, Det, Avs, Philly, Stars, ‘Yotes, SJS


- Player autonomy & NHL Southern expansion strategy: they go hand-in-hand, players gained more say on where they wanted to play post-1994 lockout and all of a sudden the new southern markets became very attractive due to taxes, weather and lack of microscopic glare of media/fans (autonomy w all its benefits!)
 
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OldCraig71

Registered User
Feb 2, 2009
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I actually don't think Bergevin started off great. He was too scared to tank, and too scared to give up prospects/picks for meaningful help. He only got Petry and Vanek because they were dirt cheap. He was undecided on what to do and it bit him in the ass.
Remember when he added Ott, Martinsen and King when the majority of fans and the hockey world felt that the habs needed scoring help heading into the playoffs?
 

Seb

All we are is Dustin Byfuglien
Jul 15, 2006
17,282
12,312
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

I, too, wear a monocle when I write my majestic posts on HFBoards. Shows them peasants what the Habs stand for.
 

angusyoung

The life of..The Party
Aug 17, 2014
11,673
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Heirendaar
I, too, wear a monocle when I write my majestic posts on HFBoards. Shows them peasants what the Habs stand for.

Why do I have a hankering for peanuts now?:huh::laugh:

upload_2021-4-23_16-56-27.jpeg
 

angusyoung

The life of..The Party
Aug 17, 2014
11,673
11,920
Heirendaar
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

Once a legend always a legend n'est pas? :dunno:one never ceases to be a legend or legendary regardless of time. Sure they may no longer be relevant,but it's history.
 

Scintillating10

Registered User
Jun 15, 2012
18,759
8,356
Nova Scotia
Here's what the roster could have looked like if Bergevin hadn't done some mistakes (traded 2x 2nds for Shaw, traded Sergachev for Drouin), or if we got lucky with that Subban near-"trade" (Subban for Draisaitl + Klefbom + Dubois as 4th OA pick). In fact, let's also throw in Lehkonen + 2nd for Burakovsky, and traded Tatar last deadline for 1st, and that we never ever signed Alzner.

Let's also forget about the cap hit ($96,807,833 for the curious ones).

DeBrincat - Draisaitl - Anderson
Dubois - Suzuki - Gallagher
Toffoli - Kotkaniemi - Radulov
Burakovsky - Danault - Perry
Armia

Girard - Sergachev
Klefbom - Petry
Chiarot/Edmundson - Gustafsson/Romanov

Price
Allen

Looks awesome, right?

We can't fault Bergevin for not having a perfect track record with trades. What we can and should fault him was his complete lack of vision. He had no plan. No vision. Nothing! He just kept trying to patch holes using bargain deals and I don't know what the f*** else. The best way to describe this is trading Sergachev (an amazing prospect) + letting Radulov and Markov walk for... Drouin and Alzner... ("If you want loyalty, buy a dog!" - "Our defense is much improved" lmao... What gems!) Or trading 2 2nds for Shaw, when it was known that Timmins had his eyes on both DeBrincat and Girard for the 2 2nd picks... And then once Shaw had a career-best year, trades him back to Chicago for a 2nd and a 3rd?! Like WTF!?


But as you said, beyond all that... the whole keeping Lefebvre for so long, etc... Honestly, BOTH Molson and Bergevin should be kicked out, but since Molson owns the team - we'll have to settle for Bergevin and his "foxhole".

I thought this off-season was by far his best as well, but that's just too little, too late. And, as it seems, it's still nowhere near good enough, especially with our expensive AF vets Weber, Price, Byron, etc, all severely regressing... If we could manage to find a way to dump an expensive contract to Seattle, then that would be great, otherwise we're unfortunately tied to ~20m dead cap for several more years.

This Bergevin/Molson era has wasted an entire decade. Thankfully (and hopefully) we're finally trending in the right direction with good/great prospects and a great AHL coach who can help said prospects. Knowing our luck: Bouchard gets snagged by another team in the off-season.

Since he fired Dudley and Lefevre, moved Timmins from head scout. Been one of best GMs in league
 

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