Post-Game Talk: Scrimmages Sept 23 @ 9AM & @ 1PM (Streamed on RDS' Website & Habs' Website)

[abo9]

He got them to the finals. First time in 28 years. Must done something right

Signing Carey Price to that horrendous contract is what got the team to the finals.

Complete nonsense. Bergevin left a great situation for Hughes/Gorton to rebuild. They had assets they could trade to acquire more picks/prospects, and a full bank of prospects already in the organization.

"Ground zero", make me laugh.

I'll admit that after Timmins got promoted to AGM (and the old AGM fired), the Habs pivoted to a more planned management style and less cowboy-like.

Bergevin though, drove this organization to the ground. Not sure how one can argue otherwise, The team got progressively worst until he left. Idk if Hughes is necessarily better, but the atmosphere surrounding the club at least feels better. More transparency, investing in scouting and development, hired a progressive thinking coach, etc.

Price was Bergevin's anchor. Everytime Price was injured was a lottery year. It's like praising the Oilers management a few years ago for making the playoffs on McDavid's back. Star players can do a lot for a team, but you gotta build around them, not just watch the years go passively.

 

[BenchBrawl]

The Bergevin haters are out in full force today I see. I am having none of it.

Bergevin was a shark trader and played with a diffcult hand. Ultimately he got us to the Finals. It's not enough, granted. But far from the catastrophe people are claiming it was.

 

[SwiftyHab]

There was NO cap management strategy, with all the contracts HuGo has been moving out we’re still near the cap ceiling. No way we could have sign Lek, Romanov and then not get offer sheeted for Caufield.

Yes we had some good players but the roster wasn’t built to last (salary wise).

A friend of mine is a very well known and highly coveted capologist. MB reached out to him to hire him but low-balled him. Managing the cap wasn’t a priority for MB just like analytics, development, communications, etc…

 

[Scintillating10]

Signing Carey Price to that horrendous contract is what got the team to the finals.



I'll admit that after Timmins got promoted to AGM (and the old AGM fired), the Habs pivoted to a more planned management style and less cowboy-like.

Bergevin though, drove this organization to the ground. Not sure how one can argue otherwise, The team got progressively worst until he left. Idk if Hughes is necessarily better, but the atmosphere surrounding the club at least feels better. More transparency, investing in scouting and development, hired a progressive thinking coach, etc.

Price was Bergevin's anchor. Everytime Price was injured was a lottery year. It's like praising the Oilers management a few years ago for making the playoffs on McDavid's back. Star players can do a lot for a team, but you gotta build around them, not just watch the years go passively.

Insurance is paying Carey's contract, he's on LTIR. Not costing a thing. A brilliant contract if it got us to Finals first time in 28 years

Bergs Got Habs to finals without 5-10 years lenghty rebuild. Not did he give up any future. Traded no picks nor prospects. Hard to do. Look at Florida?

 

[26Mats]

Signing Carey Price to that horrendous contract is what got the team to the finals.



I'll admit that after Timmins got promoted to AGM (and the old AGM fired), the Habs pivoted to a more planned management style and less cowboy-like.

Bergevin though, drove this organization to the ground. Not sure how one can argue otherwise, The team got progressively worst until he left. Idk if Hughes is necessarily better, but the atmosphere surrounding the club at least feels better. More transparency, investing in scouting and development, hired a progressive thinking coach, etc.

Price was Bergevin's anchor. Everytime Price was injured was a lottery year. It's like praising the Oilers management a few years ago for making the playoffs on McDavid's back. Star players can do a lot for a team, but you gotta build around them, not just watch the years go passively.

The Price contract wasn't horrendous. He was worth 10.5M. And now that he's on LTIR, he won't count at all against the cap. For cap purposes, it's like we signed him for 4 years, 42M.

 

[Milhouse40]

Complete nonsense. Bergevin left a great situation for Hughes/Gorton to rebuild. They had assets they could trade to acquire more picks/prospects, and a full bank of prospects already in the organization.

"Ground zero", make me laugh.

Bergevin left this team with TONS of heavy, complicated contracts that we still have to deal with.
Not sure we need any of the Armia, Gallagher or Hoffman who are still under contract for this year and the next at least for roughly 14 millions. Let's make that 15 millions with Alzner.....yes, we're still paying for Alzner.

They acquire pick and prospect by trading some of the good players we had cause we couldn't keep them because we're stuck with terrible contract MB left us instead.

I'm sure HuGo would have traded Gallagher instead of Toffoli in a heartbeat.

 

[MarioLeMoose]

RHP is a similar player to Gallagher, youger, cheaper and a bit more talended.

I like the comparison and hope you’re right!

Complete nonsense. Bergevin left a great situation for Hughes/Gorton to rebuild. They had assets they could trade to acquire more picks/prospects, and a full bank of prospects already in the organization.

"Ground zero", make me laugh.

you mean Bergevin left Hughes/Gorton no choice but to have to rebuild

 

[le_sean]

So what? I said he left a pretty good situation for rebuilding, not for winning. It was obvious our winning window was collapsing anyway, with Price and Weber on their way out. For what he left, Hughes and Gorton inherited a solid pool of prospects and tradeable assets (proven by the Toffoli and Chiarot trades).

Hardly a "ground zero" scenario.

What do you mean so what? He legitimately built what he felt was a competitive team and they were the worst in the league. Not even worst in the league, literally the worst Habs team that has ever existed. We have loads of players on huge contracts that nobody wants.

The solid pool of prospects is thanks to Hughes and Gorton, not thanks to Bergevin. It’s a different looking pool without Slafkovsky, Mesar, Hutson, Barron, Harris, Heineman. Also the added bonus of Suzuki and Caufield rotting their offensive potential thanks to the idiot he made as head coach.

 

[TT1]

Heineman lookin really good in the 2nd game so far, his play is really refined for his age. Wouldn't be surprised to see him start the season with us on the 3rd/4th line.

 

[RabbleMasterBlaster]

The dude arguing about MB having been a decent GM is truly the weirdest thing I've seen here. Guy set all kinds of records... The worst ever kind. If you meant it that way, that he was amazing at being the worst ever, then ya you're right!

Habs made the finals out of sheer determination by ignoring the coach. And having Price playing his best hockey. The team wasn't even close to making the playoffs if it hadn't been COVID seasons.

Heck maybe that was MBs plan throughout. Knew the Habs could do damage in the playoffs but would never compete in the regular season. Who knows.

This dude let his ego get the best of him and that was that.

How's he doing in LA these days?

 

[abo9]

Insurance is paying Carey's contract, he's on LTIR. Not costing a thing. A brilliant contract if it got us to Finals first time in 28 years

Bergs Got Habs to finals without 5-10 years lenghty rebuild. Not did he give up any future. Traded no picks nor prospects. Hard to do. Look at Florida?

Without trading any futures? He didnt have futures to begin with because of his horrendous development team.

The Price contract wasn't horrendous. He was worth 10.5M. And now that he's on LTIR, he won't count at all against the cap. For cap purposes, it's like we signed him for 4 years, 42M.

wow I can understand the logic of the contract being good because Finals.

But defending it using LTIR? That's complete nonsense. Hoping for a career ending injury to your player isn't a sign of genius...

 

[abo9]

The dude arguing about MB having been a decent GM is truly the weirdest thing I've seen here. Guy set all kinds of records... The worst ever kind. If you meant it that way, that he was amazing at being the worst ever, then ya you're right!

Habs made the finals out of sheer determination by ignoring the coach. And having Price playing his best hockey. The team wasn't even close to making the playoffs if it hadn't been COVID seasons.

Heck maybe that was MBs plan throughout. Knew the Habs could do damage in the playoffs but would never compete in the regular season. Who knows.

This dude let his ego get the best of him and that was that.

How's he doing in LA these days?

The finals were exciting, the ultimate underdog story.

But I'm so glad that ownership didn't give MB yet another chance because of it. I'm truly thankful that we can debate his tenure in the past tense.

Even though, I dont get how anyone can defend the work Bergevin's done here. The on-ice product was painful to watch at their best, and just completely lethargic at their worst.

a couple weeks of playoff fun dont erase 12 years of ... pathetic hockey rosters. Well not exactly 12 years, MB got gifted some incredible talents for his first few years.

 

[26Mats]

Without trading any futures? He didnt have futures to begin with because of his horrendous development team.



wow I can understand the logic of the contract being good because Finals.

But defending it using LTIR? That's complete nonsense. Hoping for a career ending injury to your player isn't a sign of genius...

I'm not hoping, I'm talking about how it in fact turned out. He has a career ending injury. So now whether he would have been able to live up to the 2nd half of the contract is irrelevant. For cap and hockey purposes, it's irrelevant. Fir cap and hockey purposes it's as if he signed for 4 years, 42M. That's a fact, not an opinion.

 

[SlafySZN]

Is there a last scrimmage game tomorrow? At what time?

 

[goforit]

Come on guys. I was very happy MB got fired and replaced but stop acting like he was the worst GM in the league. He made many bad moves but he also made many good ones. Trading was his force, he won like 90% of his trades. Give the man his props. I bet that you guys will say the same about Hughes in 5 yrs. That's classic recency bias.

Now give me some more scrimmage so we can stop talking about the past please!

 

[Goldenhands]

Is there a last scrimmage game tomorrow? At what time?

Canadiens’ Training Camp Schedule & Roster

The Montreal Canadiens main training camp opens on September 21st.

cheeringthelogo.ca

 

[Bombshell11]

The Bergevin haters are out in full force today I see. I am having none of it.

Bergevin was a shark trader and played with a diffcult hand. Ultimately he got us to the Finals. It's not enough, granted. But far from the catastrophe people are claiming it was.

he butchered the Subban situation, he made it more complicated than what it was. Then the trade concluded his career as a GM to me. The 10 mil contract to Price was the cherry on top

 

[Belial]

Heineman lookin really good in the 2nd game so far, his play is really refined for his age. Wouldn't be surprised to see him start the season with us on the 3rd/4th line.

Yeah right, as if there is a real spot... He's playing on that line just cuz Anderson is injured.

 

[Milhouse40]

Come on guys. I was very happy MB got fired and replaced but stop acting like he was the worst GM in the league. He made many bad moves but he also made many good ones. Trading was his force, he won like 90% of his trades. Give the man his props. I bet that you guys will say the same about Hughes in 5 yrs. That's classic recency bias.

Now give me some more scrimmage so we can stop talking about the past please!

Well......This duo isn't bad either and they don't screw around.
In 6 months they transform this:
Tyler Toffoli
Bret Kulak
Arthuri Lehkonen
Ben Chiarot
Alexander Romanov
Jeff Petry
Ryan Poehling
Shea Weber's dead contract
Gavin Hayes
Isaiah George

Into this:
Mike Matheson
Evgeni Dadonov
Sean Monahan
Kirby Dach
Justin Barron
Emil Heineman
Philip Mesar
Lane Hutson
Ty Smilanic
Cedric Guindon
2023 1st round pick unprotected
2023 4th round pick
2023 5th round pick
2024/25 1st round pick
2024 2nd round pick
2024 7th round pick

Not bad at trade......

 

[Bee Holder]

The Bergevin haters are out in full force today I see. I am having none of it.

Bergevin was a shark trader and played with a diffcult hand. Ultimately he got us to the Finals. It's not enough, granted. But far from the catastrophe people are claiming it was.

He was dealt the best hand (prospect and asset wise) when he arrived and managed to turn a flush into a pair.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Yeah right, as if there is a real spot... He's playing on that line just cuz Anderson is injured.

Anderson will likely be injured a few more times this season. Heineman would get a chance if he was kept.

 

[goforit]

I totally I agree. Was very happy with the change and I'm even more now. It's just that nothing in life is just black or white and what I'm reading here is dark black.

 

[schwang26]

Insurance is paying Carey's contract, he's on LTIR. Not costing a thing. A brilliant contract if it got us to Finals first time in 28 years

Bergs Got Habs to finals without 5-10 years lenghty rebuild. Not did he give up any future. Traded no picks nor prospects. Hard to do. Look at Florida?

It was complete luck that they even made the playoffs. If not for covid, they'd have missed. People tend to gloss over that fact. Sure the run was nice and they played well, until they came up against an actual contender.

 

[Scriptor]

A friend of mine is a very well known and highly coveted capologist. MB reached out to him to hire him but low-balled him. Managing the cap wasn’t a priority for MB just like analytics, development, communications, etc…

Doesn't fit the facts, other than the last couple of years where he blew his wad to try and compete (however failed his vision was). In fact, I'd argue that bervein was overly preoccupied with the cap for most of his tenure.

 

[Tyson]

The Bergevin haters are out in full force today I see. I am having none of it.

Bergevin was a shark trader and played with a diffcult hand. Ultimately he got us to the Finals. It's not enough, granted. But far from the catastrophe people are claiming it was.

Comedy hour

Bergevin's plan was to hire all his pals, alienate former Hab greats, hire idiots like Therrien and LeFebvre.
From 2012 most draft picks busted.
Habs made the finals and less than a year later they were the worst team in the league and are still hard against the cap.
The guy was a trainwreck.
The only time the team did well was when Price was healthy.