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Montreal Canadiens TPT: Grading the Offseason

By Omar L |
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: The Montreal Canadiens celebrate a first period goal against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 20: The Montreal Canadiens celebrate a first period goal against the New York Rangers in Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 20, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

In this week’s Twitter Poll Thursday, Montreal Canadiens fans become NHL professors and grade how well the team’s offseason has been so far.

Even though it’s only August, fans are starting to set their sights on that October season opener. The Montreal Canadiens didn’t have an offseason as shocking as last season, but there are some things to look forward to now. However, there is still time for GM Marc Bergevin to make a move.

That’s not to say Bergevin hasn’t done anything. The management group was active Pre-Expansion Draft and in those days around Free Agent Frenzy. Despite making their additions, there’s a very apparent level of disappointment around the fanbase.

At the heart of the disappointment, is who will not be on the team next season. It was frustrating when Alexander Radulov chose to sign with the Dallas Stars, and it was heart-wrenching to learn that Andrei Markov‘s time in Montreal would be over.

Related Story: Andrei Markov Is Moving On

With all that, we asked Habs fans to grade how the offseason has been for the Canadiens so far.

Poll Results

First thing that stands out, is that the Habs fans who voted don’t think this offseason was an overall success. Another thing that stands out, is that there is no clear decision on how to grade it.

Some think it was good, others think it was bad. A C-Grade got the slight edge. So why is the feelings towards Bergevin’s offseason decisions so scattered? Let’s start by looking at what he did.

Trades

There have been three trades so far:

  • Acquiring David Schlemko from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2019 5th round pick
  • Sending Nathan Beaulieu to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2017 3rd round pick

    • Acquiring

    Jonathan Drouin

    and a 2018 conditional 6th round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for

    Mikhail Sergachev

    and a 2018 conditional 2nd round pick

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    Not too much thought was put into the Schlemko trade. Montreal acquired a veteran defenceman that will probably start on the bottom pairing. The Beaulieu trade is where the displeasure began. Many believed that the Habs should’ve gotten a lot more for the 24-year-old. Sure they may have lost Beaulieu to Expansion anyway, and a third is all any team would’ve offered, but we can all agree the return was pretty poor.

    Most people were ecstatic about the Drouin trade. The hometown kid has a lot of expectations over his head already, but there’s no doubt that he’ll be able to live up to them. However, it stung a little bit that the Canadiens had to give up Sergachev. Many believed he was a lock to be on the team full-time.

    Related Story: Top 10 Marc Bergevin Trades

    Signings

    The majority of the signings for the Montreal Canadiens came on July 1st but some came after:

    Alzner, Hemsky, and Streit are the only ones guaranteed to make the team out of camp. The rest will most likely start the season with the Laval Rocket and be called up if need be. The Streit signing could’ve been one of the intriguing signings of the offseason as most considered that the end of Markov’s return.

    Related Story: Significance of the Mark Streit Signing

    Extensions

    Some may ignore this, but locking up Carey Price for another eight years is massive. Sure it was obvious that he would resign, but it’s still comforting. As long as you have Price as your number one goaltender, there is always a chance at a Stanley Cup Final.

    Additionally, Bergevin resigned hopeful number one center Alex Galchenyuk for three years ($4.9 million per), and AHL goaltender Charlie Lindgren ($700,000). After all that, Bergevin still sits on cap space to work with.

    Personally, I don’t think Bergevin deserves the flack he’s been getting. There is still plenty of time for something else to happen. What that will be? Unfortunately, no one knows expect the Montreal Canadiens.

    Next: No Confidence in the Front Office

    What would you grade the Habs’ offseason? Do you think more is coming? Let us know what you think in the comments!

    Player contract details from Capfriendly.com

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