2013-14 Marc Bergevin and staff

[Guest]

Marc Bergevin

Executive Vice President and General Manager

and staff

Rick Dudley
Assistant General Manager

Larry Carrière
Assistant General Manager

Trevor Timmins
Director of Amateur Scouting

Scott Mellanby
Director of Player Personnel

Martin Lapointe
Director of Player Development

Patrice Brisebois
Player Development Coach

[kinot-1]

Habs sure are getting involved in the developement of their prospects.

From Canadiens.com on Marty Lapointe.

http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=677124&navid=DL|MTL|home

[jedimaas]

Habs sure are getting involved in the developement of their prospects.

Its an interesting concept & one Ive thought about before. Put it this way: Every year we see the young players of the world ranked 1 - ____ and then drafted in roughly that order. Sure there are your 'sure things' like Crosby or Stamkos but most of the others are a gamble. In another thread we were even talking about whether it makes more sense to trade away 1st & 2nd rounders for developed/established players because you "never know" with the draft. Then you look at guys who were rushed. Thibeault, Latendresse & countless others across the league.

I have often wondered: If player "x" was drafted by such and such an organization and allowed to develop, or was helped in his development, would he have been better? If nothing else, I cant see how this will *hurt* the team and I like the idea that they are being proactive with their prospects - no only because it means they may have a better chance of developing into better players but also because it will give our team a lower likelihood of trading away a star in the making (McDonaugh!!) and know who is expendable.

[kinot-1]

Its an interesting concept & one Ive thought about before. Put it this way: Every year we see the young players of the world ranked 1 - ____ and then drafted in roughly that order. Sure there are your 'sure things' like Crosby or Stamkos but most of the others are a gamble. In another thread we were even talking about whether it makes more sense to trade away 1st & 2nd rounders for developed/established players because you "never know" with the draft. Then you look at guys who were rushed. Thibeault, Latendresse & countless others across the league.

I have often wondered: If player "x" was drafted by such and such an organization and allowed to develop, or was helped in his development, would he have been better? If nothing else, I cant see how this will *hurt* the team and I like the idea that they are being proactive with their prospects - no only because it means they may have a better chance of developing into better players but also because it will give our team a lower likelihood of trading away a star in the making (McDonaugh!!) and know who is expendable.

Well said jed. It will do our prospects good knowing that the organization, didn't just draft them and forget about them (except for rookie, and developement camps). Knowing the they ware being watched and given tips, and advice, throughout their pre-NHL careers, will/should do wonders for their confidence.

As well,,,here's what TT had to say about some of this years draft picks.

http://video.canadiens.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=66&id=262421〈=en&navid=DL|MTL|home

[Rocket-1]

I'm very happy with the new direction myself

[KeepsItReal]

Its an interesting concept & one Ive thought about before. Put it this way: Every year we see the young players of the world ranked 1 - ____ and then drafted in roughly that order. Sure there are your 'sure things' like Crosby or Stamkos but most of the others are a gamble. In another thread we were even talking about whether it makes more sense to trade away 1st & 2nd rounders for developed/established players because you "never know" with the draft. Then you look at guys who were rushed. Thibeault, Latendresse & countless others across the league.

I have often wondered: If player "x" was drafted by such and such an organization and allowed to develop, or was helped in his development, would he have been better? If nothing else, I cant see how this will *hurt* the team and I like the idea that they are being proactive with their prospects - no only because it means they may have a better chance of developing into better players but also because it will give our team a lower likelihood of trading away a star in the making (McDonaugh!!) and know who is expendable.

As I recall, Latendresses' agent told the Canadiens if they sent him back to juniors he would rejoin the draft in a year or two and they'd lose him.

Any rushing that occurred with him, would appear to be his fault.

[FirstStar]

As I recall, Latendresses' agent told the Canadiens if they sent him back to juniors he would rejoin the draft in a year or two and they'd lose him.

Any rushing that occurred with him, would appear to be his fault.

There was also the political side to it. He might've twisted their arm so to speak, but they also need a big body and wanted more local talent on the roster.

[jedimaas]

As I recall, Latendresses' agent told the Canadiens if they sent him back to juniors he would rejoin the draft in a year or two and they'd lose him.

Any rushing that occurred with him, would appear to be his fault.

Maybe but just because a player and/or his agent says that doesnt mean it happens. Sounds like hard-ball - and i am not certain our new management would have played that game. If a guy truly does that, I suspect a lot of teams take that into consideration when he is drafted & in the long run it could mean he's adding a year or 2 to his journey to the nhl, not speeding it up.

[ColRouleBleu]

I like what Bergevin did and didn't do this summer, "Trading" Halpern, Armstrong and Weber for Brière, Parros and Murray is not a big splash but still, it's an improvement. All the while our young vets will continue to establish themselves and some of our our good prospects/rookies grow into full-time nhl'ers.

[BigTed3]

I like what Bergevin did and didn't do this summer, "Trading" Halpern, Armstrong and Weber for Brière, Parros and Murray is not a big splash but still, it's an improvement. All the while our young vets will continue to establish themselves and some of our our good prospects/rookies grow into full-time nhl'ers.

The way you put it makes it sound a little better than it actually was... to me, Briere was a replacement for having Cole/Ryder last season moreso than it was for Halpern. I'd personally take Briere over Ryder but Cole over Briere (contracts aside) but to me the three players are fairly interchangeable in terms of their potential to help the team. I'd say the signing is more of a lateral move than anything.

In the case of Parros, I'm concerned he'll end up providing more of what we got from Laraque and Staubitz: a player who has a presence on the ice but whose lack of skill limits him from having a meaningful impact on team success. I don't think losing Armstrong was much of a concern, but I also feel like he at least gave us a bit of scoring potential and certainly some skill on the PK, and those things, even though they may not be as entertaining as seeing Parros police the ice surface, are probably more valuable.

Murray is a step up on Kaberle and Weber, I would tend to agree. But being down Emelin hurts us as well and at the end of the day, Murray is more of a role player than anything. Bergevin has still not been able to address the big issue on defence, which is the lack of a top 3 defenceman once you get past Subban. Without a doubt, addressing that concern is not an easy issue, but the closest we'll get to filling that hole would be to give Tinordi and Beaulieu some playing time and allow them to move into those roles within the next 2 years or so. By re-signing Bouillon and acquiring Murray, I'm worried the team plans to give those guys the 15-17 minutes a night we could have been giving to the younger players. I don't feel like Murray nor Bouillon is enough of a step up to justify leaving both Tinordi and Beaulieu in the minors or in the pressbox.

And lastly, since you mentioned Halpern, MB has yet to address the issue of who will play the 4th line center spot and give us a right-handed player who can excel at face-offs. The last time the team let Halpern walk, that responsibility was ceded to Engqvist, who failed to deliver. Maybe the guy who steps in is White, maybe it's Dumont, but that's an unanswered question. Like you, I'm pleased that Bergevin didn't sacrifice picks and young players to acquire an aging asset, but at the same time, I don't feel that he's done anything of significance to make the team better and he's possibly squeezed out ice time from some of our more talented youngsters in favor of low-impact free agents.

[powerplay2009]

And lastly, since you mentioned Halpern, MB has yet to address the issue of who will play the 4th line center spot and give us a right-handed player who can excel at face-offs. The last time the team let Halpern walk, that responsibility was ceded to Engqvist, who failed to deliver. Maybe the guy who steps in is White, maybe it's Dumont, but that's an unanswered question. Like you, I'm pleased that Bergevin didn't sacrifice picks and young players to acquire an aging asset, but at the same time, I don't feel that he's done anything of significance to make the team better and he's possibly squeezed out ice time from some of our more talented youngsters in favor of low-impact free agents.

Halpern is still out there isn't he? If nobody signs him before training camps and MT feels the need still needs addressed, it may not be too late to acquire Halpern at least.

[habby4ever]

Team Structure

Everyone has their own belief on ideal. 30 of us could write up something completely different on the subject and be right…in our own minds.

Habs GM currently believes you build through the draft. So he won’t be super active when it comes to Free Agency. Last season they had 5/6 guys who got the chance to show their stuff. Galchenyuk and Gallagher being the 2 that stand out as high end performers, with Gallagher surprising many with his play. Then we had Tinordi (big, strong, hitting defensive defenceman) and Beaulieu (smooth skating, crisp passing, offensively minded, two-way defender) who will likely play more this coming season due to injury to Emelin (a beast of a defender), also due to Kaberle’s compliance buyout (meaning he was paid the remainder of his contract and sent home), and some other possible moves MB decides to do as we are full up on talent in the D department (though that’s not a bad thing). And the other guy who got some time in the big club was Gabriel Dumont who played an energy position on the last line. He didn’t have much time to show all of his assets, but he did well on his faceoffs at over 53% winning percentage and can skate with whoever Therrien sets him on a line with.

I think a concoction of leadership, ability, high end skill, heart, hockey smarts (hockey IQ) and belief in a system works well in determining the layout of a team. With a dash of speed, hard hitting, great passing and communication. And, this is why I believe the general manager likes the idea of building from within -using the assets you have, trying guys out to see where they can fit and not bringing in too many new people. A true core where you can trust your linemates and that your linemates can play a variety of roles, rather than simply being a scoring centre, you need to be able to fill in on the backcheck, on the penalty kill. As a defenceman you need to know when to cheat, when to retreat, and to know if you do cheat that a forward will replace you on the back end. this comes with time, with trust and with gelling with the system and your team mates.

So.. the ideal…its illusive … maybe even a fairy tale…. but it is something that the great teams seem to achieve. Maybe MB can make that happen for the Habs?

[ramcharger440]

i feel the gm has done a really good job so far working with what he had last year and doing the small things to get his house in order. this off seasone he has added a couple of elements that should really help us in the long full season ahead. i feel this is the best team we have iced since the early 90's it has good balance. it would be nice to just go out and get a star or two but that is not likely to happen as the price would be to high.

[Habs_Hockey_Nutz]

Apparently another left-hand defensman will be invited to training camp... Matt Lashoff: 6'2" 204 LBS.

Josh Rimer: In other Camp notes, I've heard The Montreal Canadiens have invited a few UFA's to Training Camp. One confirmed to attend is 26yr unrestricted free agent Matt Lashoff who is expected to sign a Professional Tryout Contract in the next couple days. - Hockeybuzz

I know... Hockeybuzz is suspect to some. But if this is true one has to wonder why MB would still go in this direction... possible for the Bulldogs?

I also wonder who the other tryouts could be.

Would Marc be considering a blockbuster trade to move out a player like Markov let's say... speculation for the fun of it. I, for one, would not be adverse to a change in direction for the Habs blueline without Markov... particularly if the return was substantial in some other way.

RFA Cody Franson would look cool in a Habs Jersey (still not signed by the Leafs)... and he shoots right has great size coming off a very decent season (29 points +4)... if dreams could come true eh?

[NewfoundlandHab]

Would we really want to trade Markov to the Leafs? I feel like he'd haunt us every time we played them!

Geting a guy like Franson would be amazing. A healthy lineup of Emelin-Subban, Gorges-Franson, Murray-Diaz looks pretty good. Physical presence and a right shot on every pairing. Maybe we could move a forward to the point for the PP or just use Subban-Emelin, Franson-Diaz.

Getting back to MB, I like what he's done to make us a better team without having to give up much. I'd still like to see a trade or 2 for some quality players, but thats much easier said than done.

[FirstStar]

Would we really want to trade Markov to the Leafs? I feel like he'd haunt us every time we played them!

Geting a guy like Franson would be amazing. A healthy lineup of Emelin-Subban, Gorges-Franson, Murray-Diaz looks pretty good. Physical presence and a right shot on every pairing. Maybe we could move a forward to the point for the PP or just use Subban-Emelin, Franson-Diaz.

Getting back to MB, I like what he's done to make us a better team without having to give up much. I'd still like to see a trade or 2 for some quality players, but thats much easier said than done.

i agree about MB and I wouldn't be surprised to see MB make another mid season trade, once he knows how we stack up. Cole was a disappointment last season, we needed scoring, so MB got us Ryder-it also got Cole's contract off the books.

[Habs_Hockey_Nutz]

Would we really want to trade Markov to the Leafs? I feel like he'd haunt us every time we played them!

Geting a guy like Franson would be amazing. A healthy lineup of Emelin-Subban, Gorges-Franson, Murray-Diaz looks pretty good. Physical presence and a right shot on every pairing. Maybe we could move a forward to the point for the PP or just use Subban-Emelin, Franson-Diaz.

Getting back to MB, I like what he's done to make us a better team without having to give up much. I'd still like to see a trade or 2 for some quality players, but thats much easier said than done.

Even though I put the two statements in the same post they were two separate topics (my bad). Trading Markov ( to another team who are looking for a quality d-man... other than the leafs!) could yield something of value while freeing up cap-space. I do realize Markov may still have a lot to offer the Habs, but the idea was to go in another direction considering what the Habs have done regarding the team this season.

The Leafs are having some trouble signing Franson and Kadri by the sound of things in the media... Franson is RFA (not sure an offer sheet would be possible, but it could be one way of getting him signed here), so they may be interested to move him for another prospect we have in our system (like let's say Nygren... who has potential but is still unproven) that would be at a lower cap-hit. The idea would be to lock up Franson longer term as part of the Habs core.

[FirstStar]

Even though I put the two statements in the same post they were two separate topics (my bad). Trading Markov ( to another team who are looking for a quality d-man... other than the leafs!) could yield something of value while freeing up cap-space. I do realize Markov may still have a lot to offer the Habs, but the idea was to go in another direction considering what the Habs have done regarding the team this season.

The Leafs are having some trouble signing Franson and Kadri by the sound of things in the media... Franson is RFA (not sure an offer sheet would be possible, but it could be one way of getting him signed here), so they may be interested to move him for another prospect we have in our system (like let's say Nygren... who has potential but is still unproven) that would be at a lower cap-hit. The idea would be to lock up Franson longer term as part of the Habs core.

With them having a few players to sign, not sure if they'd be able to take on marky's contract.

Not without it costing them a roster player. They also have Kessel and Phuff to re-sign next season.

[hatethosebruins]

Would we really want to trade Markov to the Leafs? I feel like he'd haunt us every time we played them!

Geting a guy like Franson would be amazing. A healthy lineup of Emelin-Subban, Gorges-Franson, Murray-Diaz looks pretty good. Physical presence and a right shot on every pairing. Maybe we could move a forward to the point for the PP or just use Subban-Emelin, Franson-Diaz.

Getting back to MB, I like what he's done to make us a better team without having to give up much. I'd still like to see a trade or 2 for some quality players, but thats much easier said than done.

A deal of Markov for franson, would be more than worth the one or 2 years markov haunts us, in order to have a guy like franson on our blue line for a few years.

[kinot-1]

A deal of Markov for franson, would be more than worth the one or 2 years markov haunts us, in order to have a guy like franson on our blue line for a few years.

IMO, Nonis would want Markov + a 2nd (or 3rd ) rounder, however, Franson is just coming into his own, and "if" MB could make that deal, it would be a plus for us.

[THEBIGGESTHABSFAN123]

Like FS said, Leafs don't have the cap for Markov. It's highly unlucky and we shouldn't hope for anything like that.

[kinot-1]

Like FS said, Leafs don't have the cap for Markov. It's highly unlucky and we shouldn't hope for anything like that.

Heck,, they can't even sign Kadri

[Habs_Hockey_Nutz]

It is amazing how one can be mis-read... I suggested trading Markov to anyone "OTHER THAN THE LEAFS"!

The object was to replace Markov through a different transaction and then to acquire Franson.

Here is a question... OTHER THAN MARKOV who among other Habs d-men (whether current or prospects) would the Leafs be interested enough in to consider moving Franson?

The thought is there may be other teams who would be interested in acquiring Markov in a trade. Who could that team be?

And considering some of the moves that Marc Bergevin has made would he be willing to visit this scenario?

[BigTed3]

Here is a question... OTHER THAN MARKOV who among other Habs d-men (whether current or prospects) would the Leafs be interested enough in to consider moving Franson?

The thought is there may be other teams who would be interested in acquiring Markov in a trade. Who could that team be?

And considering some of the moves that Marc Bergevin has made would he be willing to visit this scenario?

I could have seen the Leafs being interested in Emelin; he fits the type of player that Nonis would be high on, but he obvioulsy wouldn't swing a deal for him while he's injured and I don't see the Habs dealing that type of player within their own division anyways. All 29 teams would be willing to take Subban off our hands, but there's no way he's available. Diaz doesn't really represent an upgrade for Toronto and as we've discussed, they really can't afford Markov under the cap. I would guess they'd be interested in either Tinordi or Beaulieu as well, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't move either guy for Franson nor Kadri.

As for who else might be interested in acquiring Markov, it'd have to be a team that thinks they can be competitive for a Cup and that can use some help on the PP. Detroit could be one fit, but again, they are in our own division now. Washington had shown some interest before, and we know Ovechkin and Markov are friends. I could also see teams like Minnesota and Edmonton being interested, the former because they have the bodies to log defensive minutes but could use a veteran for the PP and the latter because they're ready to take the next step but could use a veteran presence on the blue line to help their young forwards on the PP.

[THEBIGGESTHABSFAN123]

It is amazing how one can be mis-read... I suggested trading Markov to anyone "OTHER THAN THE LEAFS"! would the Leafs be interested enough in to consider moving Franson?.

Ya, I know. I was replying to the people who were considering it.