Rate Bergevin's Work Over The Past Year

[Noob616]

How do you guys rate his work since last summer? Overall I'm generally happy mostly because nothing bad has happened. I was nervous about a panic deal for ROR or too much money for Stastny but I'm glad no further mistakes were made and that the Habs signalled a bit of a retooling year by taking on Mason's dead money in exchange for picks and a useful player like Armia. I liked what they did at the draft, I don't love the Domi trade but I can see an argument for it, and I have no issue with any of the players they let walk besides Daniel Carr (but sounds like he got more money from the KHL). I like Evans and Vejdemo, I like the dice rolls on the two Czech defensemen and keeping Valiev around, and I like that all they did on July 1 was grab Plekanec again (who might be flipped again at the deadline) and sign some AHL ringers for Laval. Ouellet is a decent bet too, very cheap contract and he could very well be the best of the logjam of mediocre 3rd pair LD on the team. My vote is B, most of the moves I like or can learn to like, and there were no long-term mistakes made which is a plus in and of itself on a bad team. I like a lot of the swings they took in the draft and I think overall they made a lot of smart signings and low-risk bets to shore up some holes on the NHL and AHL rosters.

Here's a list of all the moves made since the start of the 2017-18 season:

Trades:
LW - Max Domi for LW - Alex Galchenyuk, Domi extended 2Y/3.15M AAV
LD - Simon Bourque for G- Steve Mason, RW - Joel Armia, 2019 4th, 2020 7th, Mason bought out (1.36M against cap for 2 seasons)
Minor trades to move slightly down in the draft that I don't remember or care to look up. 

Drafted:
R1 (3) C - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
R2 (35) RW - Jesse Ylonen
R2 (38) LD - Alexander Romanov
R2 (56) C - Jacob Olofsson
R3 (66) C - Cam Hillis
R3 (71) LD - Jordan Harris
R4 (97) C- Allan McShane
R4 (123) LW - Jack Gorniak
R5 (128) C/LW - Cole Fonstad
R5 (133) C - Samuel Houde
R7 (190) C - Brett Stapley

Non-UFA Signings: (Italics for likely non-NHL players)
G - Antti Niemi for 1Y/950K
C - Lukas Vejdemo for 2Y/925k AAV
LW- Nicolas Deslauriers for 2Y/950k AAV
LW - Max Domi for 2Y/3.15M AAV

C - Jake Evans for 2Y/1.3M AAV
LD - David Sklenicka for 2Y/925k AAV
LD - Michal Moravcik for 2Y/925k AAV
LD - Rinat Valiev for 1Y/650k
C - Hayden Verbeek for 3Y/776k AAV
C - Will Bitten for 3Y/805k AAV
C - Alexandre Alain for 3Y/753k AAV
G - Charlie Lindgren for 3Y/750k AAV
C - Jesperi Kotkaniemi for 3Y/3.45M AAV

UFA Signings: (Italics for likely Laval players)
C - Tomas Plekanec for 1Y/3.5M 
C - Matthew Peca for 2Y/1.3M AAV

LD - Xavier Ouellet for 1Y/700k
C - Michael Chaput for 2Y/650k
LW - Kenny Agostino for 1Y/700k

Lost as UFAs: (Italics for Laval only players)
RW - Ales Hemsky
F - Logan Shaw
LW/RW - Daniel Carr

RW - Jeremy Gregoire
RW - Chris Terry
LW - Adam Cracknell
G - Zach Fucale
LD - Thomas Parisi
LW - Markus Eisenschmid

RFAs Left to Sign: 
RW/C - Michael McCarron
LW - Kerby Rychel
RW - Joel Armia
C - Phillip Danault
C/LW - Jacob de la Rose

 

[jwlk]

Galchenyuk for Domi i don't like this deal and i think it will come back to haunt us

LD - Simon Bourque for G- Steve Mason, RW - Joel Armia, 2019 4th, 2020 7th, Mason bought out (1.36M against cap for 2 seasons) this in itself is a dumb trade, 4th and 7th are essentially useless, mason was bought out ,and is now cap space, and armia is another 3-4 winger we did not need.

as for his signings, more 3-4 guys, anybody right now could do his job

[BigTed3]

if I'm going to grade him:

- Domi trade gets a D for me. Domi is fine, and he may even end up having more success than Galchenyuk in the long run, but MB spent years devaluing Galchenyuk, traded him for less than he should have been able to got had they played him at center during a losing season, and for the third time in two years made a big trade that failed to address any of the team's actual needs at center and left D.

- Armia trade gets an A. Exactly the type of creative move you need to make with cap space. Armia can be a good asset and he's still relatively young.

- Draft as a whole gets a B for me. I think there was a lot of gambling. Gambling on Kotkaniemi, who has potential to be a steal of a pick if he can turn into a 1C, but who also isn't as clearly of NHL star caliber as some of the other guys we bypassed. There are other guys with potential big upsides too, but who were maybe taken a bit earlier than I would have liked. I also wonder if MB reached on centers as an over-reaction to his lack of them now. Overall I'm happy with being aggressive if you think you have players you like, so it's a positive note for me, but with a very big to-be-determined component obviously. I think Buf, Det, NYI, and Chi all had better drafts than us.

- Plekanec signing gets a D. I think he blocks a roster spot for a younger player, which can hurt development down the line. This isn't a win-now year, and Plekanec doesn't provide much else.

- As for the rest, disappointed to see they wouldn't give Carr the extra 50k or so he wanted. He was a bright spot in the bottom 6 and he was never given a fair chance. I like the Ouellet signing, and the other moves are neither here nor there for me. I'm happy MB didn't do something dumb, but really all that says is that expectations were low. I still feel he's failed to make our team better or more importantly to acquire some younger talent or 1st's in exchange for Max, Weber, Price, etc.

So overall, it's a C for me. A pass for the past year, but he's done very little of positive, more just a lack of something stupid.

[Manatee-X]

As others have said, the trade with Winnipeg was a good one in that we used our salary cap advantage as an actual advantage.  Props for that.

I don't know anything about prospects in general, but the people who do seem to be ok with most of our picks.  So that's a positive sign, but I didn't put a lot of weight on this since it's all Greek to me.

HATED the Galchenyuk trade, no matter how Domi plays here.  I hate that we brought Galchenyuk's value so low based on how we used him (and then traded him at that low point).  I hate that we're getting, on paper, the weaker goal-scorer on a team that can't score goals (and in a trade that we were not in any way forced to make).  Most of all, though, I hate the fact that we used yet another of our few real bargaining chips and still don't have a centre or a defenseman.  Boooooooo to all of it.

 

Everything else?  Tinkering.  Maybe some of it will work, maybe some of it won't, but none of it is going to make a substantial difference to our chances this year or to our future.  As bad as Bergevin has been in other years it's tempting to give him points just for not screwing things up too bad, but that's not really the bar that I want to set for the GM of a team who can afford the best of the best.

 

We blew our chance at contending with stupid decisions in prior years, so now we need to cut our losses and rebuild.  We've been taking some steps that indicate that we're moving in that direction, which is good, but we still have nothing to show for it.  If we actually trade some of the likes of Patches, Price, Webber, Petry, Gallagher, Byron, etc. for a decent return then I would reevaluate, but for now it's all just what-ifs.  Yes I'm glad that he hasn't traded them for peanuts if those are the only offers we've been getting, but considering that it was Bergevin's moves that got us into this mess (not to mention lowered the value of some of those players) I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for standing pat now.

 

Ranking: a solid D

[H_T_L]

Didn't fill any holes and hasn't fully committed to a rebuild. Team in limbo IMO.

[maas_art]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

if I'm going to grade him:

- Domi trade gets a D for me. Domi is fine, and he may even end up having more success than Galchenyuk in the long run, but MB spent years devaluing Galchenyuk, traded him for less than he should have been able to got had they played him at center during a losing season, and for the third time in two years made a big trade that failed to address any of the team's actual needs at center and left D.

- Armia trade gets an A. Exactly the type of creative move you need to make with cap space. Armia can be a good asset and he's still relatively young.

- Draft as a whole gets a B for me. I think there was a lot of gambling. Gambling on Kotkaniemi, who has potential to be a steal of a pick if he can turn into a 1C, but who also isn't as clearly of NHL star caliber as some of the other guys we bypassed. There are other guys with potential big upsides too, but who were maybe taken a bit earlier than I would have liked. I also wonder if MB reached on centers as an over-reaction to his lack of them now. Overall I'm happy with being aggressive if you think you have players you like, so it's a positive note for me, but with a very big to-be-determined component obviously. I think Buf, Det, NYI, and Chi all had better drafts than us.

- Plekanec signing gets a D. I think he blocks a roster spot for a younger player, which can hurt development down the line. This isn't a win-now year, and Plekanec doesn't provide much else.

- As for the rest, disappointed to see they wouldn't give Carr the extra 50k or so he wanted. He was a bright spot in the bottom 6 and he was never given a fair chance. I like the Ouellet signing, and the other moves are neither here nor there for me. I'm happy MB didn't do something dumb, but really all that says is that expectations were low. I still feel he's failed to make our team better or more importantly to acquire some younger talent or 1st's in exchange for Max, Weber, Price, etc.

So overall, it's a C for me. A pass for the past year, but he's done very little of positive, more just a lack of something stupid.

For me its a D so far.

Agree completely on Domi for Galchenyuk.  Its entirely possible Domi ends up better and/or a better fit for this team but you do NOT sell at 75¢ on the dollar. Its just stupid asset management.  I dont hate the plekanec signing simply because i think we're going to have a lot of holes.  If a guy like DLR or Froese or Peca cant supplant Plekac at his age then none of them deserve much of a shot.   The rest I agree with completely.

Right now I grade him lower than you simply because we're still waiting for the other shoe to drop.  What he does with Pacioretty and some of our other veterans is the real key here.  If we're truly rebuilding then make it so. Do it properly.  Dont hoard vets that are diminishing assets. 

Its possible he'll raise that grade.  Make some more moves like the Armia one and get good returns on guys like Pacioretty and maybe some others and who knows.  But he's got a loooooooooong way to go for me to have any sort of faith in him again. 

 

 

 

[habby67]

I would like to choose G.

[ChiLla]

Didn't like the Galchenyuk trade.

Loved the Armia trade, I believe there's a lot of upside to his game and he's still young enough. The picks are a free bonus.

Very good draft, aside from Romanov (too early) I'm happy with every pick.

Glad we didn't complicate things by signing yet another over-the-hill UFA like Alzner to a terrible contract.

Not going to pass judgment on the whole Pacioretty situation for now because it's unclear what exactly went down behind the scenes.

He didn't make the team better on July 1st but after Tavares and Stastny clearly had zero interest in coming here, I think all things considered MB has done fairly well since October 2017. That doesn't make him a good GM though, that ship has long sailed.

 

 

[kinot-2]

^^^^ Thanks for doing the tough slugging to put all of this together, Noob :). 

I'd have to give MB a C minus. 

[Regis22]

F

Didn't like his excuse for least year's flop being " attitude " instead of taking the blame himself and the organization for obtaining the right players or developing them properly .

I don't think he's done anything to improve the team for next year  except hope that Carey, Shea and MAx have better years.

This year draft picks - we'll have to wait and see who  makes it to the big club and who doesn't before saying he was succefful.

Doesn't see to have a long term plan . Seems as at 1st he was copying Chicago's strategy , now he's flipping to Toronto's .

Says he doesn't  want  mortgage the future by trading away draft picks and young players  then gets rid of Nate , PK, Alex,  Sergachev

He just seems lost in his plan

 

[Habs=stanleycup]

1 hour ago, habby67 said:

I would like to choose G.

[maas_art]

31 minutes ago, Regis22 said:

He just seems lost in his plan

I honestly dont think he's ever had one.

[maas_art]

36 minutes ago, ChiLla said:

Very good draft, aside from Romanov (too early) I'm happy with every pick.

The Romanov one is a odd one to be sure but I do trust in Timmins. I have a feeling that if he made that pick that early he knew someone was going to take him. 

If you feel very strongly about a player and your are sure anotehr team is going to take him, then you make that pick.  Especially with the number of other players still on the board.    It may well end up being a mistake but Im very interested to see how Romanov pans out.  

[BigTed3]

And going to drop my grade to a D based on the Weber news... if MB knew about this since June 19th and STILL signed Plekanec, it's horrendous. Plekanec has very little value to a non-playoff team and now that move simply takes away a roster spot from a developing youngster. It also means that it's unacceptable to go ahead with Price and Pacioretty knowing that we have to rebuild and won't be competitive for at least two years. This team should be focused on Jack Hughes and Alex Lafreniere. Bergevin's work right now is all over the place, no focus, no goal, no clear vision.

[jennifer_rocket]

42 minutes ago, BigTed3 said:

And going to drop my grade to a D based on the Weber news... if MB knew about this since June 19th and STILL signed Plekanec, it's horrendous. Plekanec has very little value to a non-playoff team and now that move simply takes away a roster spot from a developing youngster. It also means that it's unacceptable to go ahead with Price and Pacioretty knowing that we have to rebuild and won't be competitive for at least two years. This team should be focused on Jack Hughes and Alex Lafreniere. Bergevin's work right now is all over the place, no focus, no goal, no clear vision.

Counter argument.

Plekanec might be able to fetch us another 2nd rounder at the deadline. He certainly won't push Montreal into contention for a playoff spot. But if he has a decent year, and we pickup another draft pick before the deadline... I like it.

[loyalhabsfan]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

And going to drop my grade to a D based on the Weber news... if MB knew about this since June 19th and STILL signed Plekanec, it's horrendous. Plekanec has very little value to a non-playoff team and now that move simply takes away a roster spot from a developing youngster. It also means that it's unacceptable to go ahead with Price and Pacioretty knowing that we have to rebuild and won't be competitive for at least two years. This team should be focused on Jack Hughes and Alex Lafreniere. Bergevin's work right now is all over the place, no focus, no goal, no clear vision.

What's it going to take to get Molson to move on from MB? What happens if Galchenyuk lights it up in AZ while Domi struggles here? How many more of these 1 for 1 trades are we going to live with here. I (sort of) understand wanting to stay with MB if he's 'the guy', as long as he's learning from his mistakes. He has made some decent moves in his tenure but damn man... how can we sit here as a bottom feeder after trading Subban, Sergachev, Galchenyuk, and now most likely Patches. When does the madness end?

[Noob616]

2 hours ago, BigTed3 said:

And going to drop my grade to a D based on the Weber news... if MB knew about this since June 19th and STILL signed Plekanec, it's horrendous. Plekanec has very little value to a non-playoff team and now that move simply takes away a roster spot from a developing youngster. 

 

Like who? Scherbak will get a spot, and Hudon/Lehkonen are locks. Rychel and DLR will have every opportunity to win the 4LW spot from Deslauriers, and given Shaw's injury history there will surely be a shot for McCarron at some point at 4RW. If DLR and McCarron can't beat out career AHLers like Matthew Peca and Byron Froese to win a 4C job on the 3rd worst team in the league at 23 years old with lots of pro experience then it's time to move on. After that the Habs have a ton of raw prospects with no North American pro experience, and even if one of them exceeds expectations they'll just move Drouin to the wing and run Danault-XXX-Plekanec-Peca.

I just can't get behind the idea the Habs are blocking their young forwards with veterans. Last year they ran Pacioretty, Plekanec, and Byron and then 9 forwards age 26 and under. This year it's going to be Byron and Plekanec and then every other forward will be 27 and under and there's always injuries. They were great with young players last year, Lehkonen and Hudon had very long stretches with little production and they got a long leash and kept getting regular top 9 ice time, and Scherbak got a long look at the NHL level despite little production as well. 

[Regis22]

27 minutes ago, Noob616 said:

, Lehkonen and Hudon had very long stretches with little production and they got a long leash and kept getting regular top 9 ice time, and Scherbak got a long look at the NHL level despite little production as well. 

That's what I find sad , these guys got longs looks but didn't jump out and sieze the opportunity

[maas_art]

1 hour ago, Regis22 said:

That's what I find sad , these guys got longs looks but didn't jump out and sieze the opportunity

In fairness though, most of these guys were punching way above their weight-class.   I mean that was the whole beauty of signing a Tavares (or winning the lottery & drafting Dahlin). Everyone shifts back a position.

You dont just get a little better because you add one player, you get miles better because everyone shifts back to their comfort zones.  Drouin is not a #1 Centre but maybe he's a #2 (or a #1LW) - he becomes that much more effective because he's not playing above his head.   

But, of course, Tavares has no interest in this team because Bergevin has messed it up so badly.  

Three years ago, when we were a Carey Price injury away from making the stanley cup final, if you had suggested blowing up the team and rebuilding you would have been considered insane... and yet here we are. Instead of getting stronger, we've gotten (substantially) weaker. We've ruined prospects, traded away elite players and gotten worse.  And Molson stands patiently by...  

[tony5775]

Hard to give MB anything but a failing grade here. The team is very messed up and on top of that we have to put up with Julien as a coach. The analyst on draft day were commenting that either the team had no system or the players were not capable of playing the one given to them. The system they are using does not fit the players that are here now. 

MB said he knows what needs to be done to fix this team. That maybe true, but he would have to resign and has not done so. 

His total lack of regard for the problems that the team obviously has, is very disappointing. Unless a lot of players get much better then they were last year, this could be the worse season in team history.

 

[Habs=stanleycup]

15 minutes ago, tony5775 said:

Hard to give MB anything but a failing grade here. The team is very messed up and on top of that we have to put up with Julien as a coach. The analyst on draft day were commenting that either the team had no system or the players were not capable of playing the one given to them. The system they are using does not fit the players that are here now. 

MB said he knows what needs to be done to fix this team. That maybe true, but he would have to resign and has not done so. 

His total lack of regard for the problems that the team obviously has, is very disappointing. Unless a lot of players get much better then they were last year, this could be the worse season in team history.

 

This.

How some people can give this guy a C or even a B grade is beyond me. Maybe Molson voted incognito. 

[BigTed3]

2 hours ago, Noob616 said:

Like who? Scherbak will get a spot, and Hudon/Lehkonen are locks. Rychel and DLR will have every opportunity to win the 4LW spot from Deslauriers, and given Shaw's injury history there will surely be a shot for McCarron at some point at 4RW. If DLR and McCarron can't beat out career AHLers like Matthew Peca and Byron Froese to win a 4C job on the 3rd worst team in the league at 23 years old with lots of pro experience then it's time to move on. After that the Habs have a ton of raw prospects with no North American pro experience, and even if one of them exceeds expectations they'll just move Drouin to the wing and run Danault-XXX-Plekanec-Peca.

I just can't get behind the idea the Habs are blocking their young forwards with veterans. Last year they ran Pacioretty, Plekanec, and Byron and then 9 forwards age 26 and under. This year it's going to be Byron and Plekanec and then every other forward will be 27 and under and there's always injuries. They were great with young players last year, Lehkonen and Hudon had very long stretches with little production and they got a long leash and kept getting regular top 9 ice time, and Scherbak got a long look at the NHL level despite little production as well. 

As the roster stands right now (i.e. barring trades), these are the forwards who are locks to make the Habs:

Pacioretty, Gallagher, Hudon, Lehkonen, Domi, Danault, Plekanec, Drouin, Armia, Shaw, Byron (and yes, the last two will start on IR but they'll be back sooner rather than later once the season starts). That's already 11 guys.

MB has stated that Deslauriers and Peca were signed to play on the NHL roster, not the AHL. So that's 13.

So even if the Habs decide to go 14 forwards, that means there's 1 spot left for Scherbak, McCarron, Rychel,  DLR, Chaput, Froese, Agostino, Audette, Evans, etc. If they go 8 D, then there are no leftover spots. Of the guys on the fringe, all of Deslauriers, Peca, Scherbak, Mac, Rychel, and DLR need to go through waivers this year. Evans does not, but a lot of people in the media felt Evans was the most NHL-ready prospect we had and that he looked capable of making the team out of camp.

So let's draw it up. The potential line-up right now will look something along the lines of

Pacioretty-Danault-Lehkonen

Domi-Drouin-Gallagher

Hudon-Plekanec-Armia

Deslauriers-Peca-???

and that's with Shaw and Byron out.

Zero chance that Scherbak, Rychel, McCarron, and Evans all make it into the line-up. Pretty decent chance 3 of them are either cut and exposed to waivers or sitting in the press-box most nights.

So you can say Plekanec isn't stealing a roster spot, but he is. The Habs are not going to cut Plekanec. They're not going to stick him in the press box for 40 games. It just isn't going to happen. Even if a bunch of rookies outplay him in camp, the rookies are battling with each other for the 12th and 13th spots to start the year, not Plekanec and maybe not even Peca or Deslauriers. I'd rather see DLR over Plekanec and give experience in the upcoming lost season to a guy who could be a 3rd/4th line center here for the next 5 years. I'd rather plug in Evans and see if we have a diamond in the rough who could emerge as a scoring threat in the bottom 6 and be a contributor here long-term. I'd rather Scherbak get more ice time instead of languishing on the 4th line for long stretches of games like Galchenyuk and Hudon did.

If you're the Leafs or the Lightning or the Sharks or Pens, then I absolutely get having a veteran like Plekanec on your 4th line to make your Cup run. We're going to be a bottom-feeder and there's simply very little value to giving big minutes to a 35-year old who isn't going to be a contributor past another season or two. It's akin to playing Murray and Bouillon ahead of Beaulieu and Pateryn and Tinordi. He's not making you any better in the short-term in any meaningful way and he's hurting the development of younger guys. And sure, those young guys might turn into nothing, but then at least you know sooner and you're not playing an Evans or DLR in tough minutes in a season that does mean something. Zero foresight here in signing Plekanec IMO.

[jeff33]

So far this offseason has been a monumental failure as far as I'm concerned.

Im gonna reserve judgement until its actually fair to say, but I think we blew it big time not drafting Zadina, I watched himat WJC and I think thats a 40 goal dynamic player like we have 0 of at the moment. Kotkanieimi has a 200 ft game ...cool. Thats my personal feeling so far based on no real data yet but as of now im not happy

other than that he had 1 main job. trade patch. and its been bungled. like everything else this guy does. it looks like now he gets traded for way less than we could have got at the deadline....which was the real time to trade him, which we of course bungled......or god forbid we resign him. HUGE failure

dont worry though...we got pleks back!! just the thing this organization needs, to do yet ANOTHER retread on someone we should have moved on from a long time ago and give them a significant role in things,

other than that he fired guys who should have been fired years ago, hired guys we all would have hired ,and didnt overpay on some brutal past his prime player which im 100% sure he would have done if he could. I guarantee you we had offers for jack johnson and paul stastny on the table.

oh i almost forgot, he managed to fit in bungling a galchenyuk trade in there.

worst GM in hab history hands down, worst edition of the team I have ever seen. I was sick of him 2 years ago I dont even know what I would say now.  we're a laughingstock.

[Noob616]

Quote

So even if the Habs decide to go 14 forwards, that means there's 1 spot left for Scherbak, McCarron, Rychel,  DLR, Chaput, Froese, Agostino, Audette, Evans, etc.

 

Scherbak is the only player I care about in that list and I'm pretty confident he makes the team. Evans is a good prospect but he's waiver exempt and he should be starting in Laval (and again, if he is actually an NHL level center from day 1 they will shift Drouin to the wing). McCarron/DLR/Rychel are fine but failed former high pick redemption projects are a dime a dozen, and if they can't beat out Peca or Deslauriers for a roster spot then it's time to move on. Audette is organizational depth and probably well into the 20s on the forward depth chart. Froese, Agostino, and Chaput are all older than Peca and as old as Deslauriers! 

Despite consecutive coaches known to be demanding of young players with reputations of favouring crotchety veterans, both Hudon and Lehkonen took roster spots from veterans last year and made their mark in the NHL, and that's without the opportunity and benefit of the doubt that high picks like McCarron/DLR/Rychel get. Mete won the job of being Weber's D partner out of camp as a teenager. Philip Danault played his way onto the Habs first line from age 23-25. Armia carved out a strong two-way role on one of the deepest teams in the league. Gallagher was a first line forward from age 20. Juulsen is probably in the top 6 this year at 21. Scherbak has likely secured himself a spot at 21. At some point these players have to actually show something at the AHL level, let alone in the NHL. 

Quote

So you can say Plekanec isn't stealing a roster spot, but he is. The Habs are not going to cut Plekanec. They're not going to stick him in the press box for 40 games. It just isn't going to happen. Even if a bunch of rookies outplay him in camp

He's not making you any better in the short-term in any meaningful way and he's hurting the development of younger guys.

1

I agree that he's taking a roster spot but that's fine. I'm totally 100% comfortable with using a roster spot on Tomas Plekanec instead of one of any interchangeable replacement level players in Laval. Plekanec isn't what he once was but he's still an NHL level player and is probably the Habs 2nd best overall center. They don't need to cut Plekanec if he gets outplayed, if Evans outplays him they'll make Evans the 2C and put Drouin on his wing and cut one of the 4th liners. Hudon and Lehkonen also seemed to get a lot out of playing with Plekanec on tough minutes shutdown lines, and if anything I think he's helpful in sheltering those players so they're not adjusting to both NHL play and tough minutes at the same time. 

Quote

If you're the Leafs or the Lightning or the Sharks or Pens, then I absolutely get having a veteran like Plekanec on your 4th line to make your Cup run. We're going to be a bottom-feeder and there's simply very little value to giving big minutes to a 35-year old who isn't going to be a contributor past another season or two. It's akin to playing Murray and Bouillon ahead of Beaulieu and Pateryn and Tinordi.

 

I mean they've kinda been vindicated on Tinordi which is kinda what I'm getting at here. IMO it's more akin to signing Bouillion (a serviceable bottom pair NHL defenseman) to play over Dalton Thrower or Matt Taormina or Eric Gelinas or Simon Bourque or Darren Dietz or Morgan Ellis. I remember we were all mad about the Habs not giving Dietz or Ellis a shot and they're playing in Europe now after washing out of two or three NHL organizations. The Habs don't have a forward equivalent to Beaulieu or Pateryn in the AHL right now and I think they have a lot of Tinordis who are replacement level players at best, along with a lot of very solid forward prospects that are still raw and need experience in development leagues.  

At some point you need to ice an NHL lineup. We pretty much know these guys are replacement level, and if I'm wrong about that it means Deslauriers gets cut and not Plekanec. We saw how DLR and McCarron handled relatively soft minutes at age 20, 21, and 22, and each time they got torched and lost their spots to Mitchell/Froese/Deslauriers/Carr etc. I would be livid if the Habs went out and signed Roussel or Beagle like the Canucks to long term big money deals, but 1 year for a Habs legend to play 3C and soak up tough matchups and fetch another 2nd at the deadline is not a problem at all. 

[HabsAlways]

1 hour ago, jeff33 said:

Im gonna reserve judgement until its actually fair to say, but I think we blew it big time not drafting Zadina, I watched himat WJC and I think thats a 40 goal dynamic player like we have 0 of at the moment. Kotkanieimi has a 200 ft game ...cool. Thats my personal feeling so far based on no real data yet but as of now im not happy

 

Zadina would indeed have been the instant hit, but having watched every clip I could find of Kotkanieimi at 17/18 playing against men ... he has the potential to be the top line center we've lacked since pre-Koivu.