Montreal Canadiens TPT: Marc Bergevin on the Hot Seat

For this weeks Twitter Poll Thursday, we asked Montreal Canadiens fans whether Marc Bergevin’s job as the GM may be in danger this season.

There are a lot of lists and projections that teams like to be a part of.  Being included with team’s most likely to win the Stanley Cup or make an impact trade place you as a point of interest in the league. It’s safe to say that the Montreal Canadiens would see no harm in being included in a list like those.

On the other hand, there are also lists that don’t feel good to be on. One that is done every season is, general managers on the hot seat. It takes a look at GMs around the league who may be the most likely to get fired during the season.

No team wants to be a part of this list. It hints at the fact there have been poor decisions made within the management that may not be clear until a certain person is removed. When you hear that, you can’t help but think about the Montreal Canadiens.

There’s been uproar from the fanbase ever since the P.K. Subban trade. However, the feelings of the fanbase don’t determine the status of a GM (well they shouldn’t). Marc Bergevin had a handful of moves this off-season that should help the Canadiens. However, some of the subtractions could hurt them.

Related Story: Top 10 Marc Bergevin Trades

Additionally, the Habs have yet to make a significant impact in the playoffs. Their deepest run was in 2014 when they made the Eastern Conference Final. There’s always hope that could happen this year.

With all that, we asked Habs fans if they think Bergevin may be on the hot seat for this upcoming season.

Poll Results

The consensus is that Habs fans who voted seem to think Bergevin’s job is in danger. However, the majority believe that its more of a possibility rather than a fact.

Is this warranted?

The three key additions of the summer were Jonathan Drouin, Karl Alzner, and Jakub Jerabek. The hope is that next season they can be big-time contributors on the Canadiens, in particular Drouin. That being said, you could argue that the additions are more like replacements for Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov.

It’s not only the fans, even analysts and anchors have criticized some of the moves made by Bergevin this summer.

Those two not being on the roster is the main reason for the $8.5 million in cap space. It’s highly unlikely that Bergevin pictured the organization having so much flexibility weeks before training camp. The upside is that it can be used to acquire a big piece, assuming that’s what’s on their radar.

Related Story: Four Reasons for the $8.5 Million Cap Space

Last season’s team got knocked out of the playoffs in six games by the New York Rangers. It’s hard to say if this team is any different from last year’s as a unit. We’ll have to see them play before we can start making those kind of predictions.

Results are what matter in this league. If there are any doubts from ownership on Bergevin’s ability to build the team, a successful season could change that. On the other hand, a poor season could drive the notion even further.

Next: Pursuing Andreas Athanasiou

Do you think Bergevin is on the hot seat? If so, what can he do to change that? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!