Marc Bergevin hasn’t gotten the Montreal Canadiens to where the fans want them to be however firing the general manager should wait.
#FireBergevin has been a trending topic on Twitter after Thursday’s game. I mean fans have wanted Marc Bergevin to be removed for a number of years now, but the desire for the Montreal Canadiens to relieve him of his duties has never been higher.
One of the first triggers was the infamous P.K. Subban trade. What makes it worse is that the Habs could use a player like him at the moment. Then it continues when you consider Bergevin’s tendency to only add to the team’s bottom nine at the Trade Deadline.
‘Improving’ the blueline hasn’t helped the general manager’s case either. Regardless of the way they were lost, Bergevin hasn’t done enough to replenish the talent. It makes it worse when you think back to his comments about the team over the off-season.
Bergevin told reporters on numerous occasions that he believed the team’s blueline was better than last year’s. He also believed that he addressed the Habs’ goal-scoring issues with Jonathan Drouin and at the same time banking on other players on the team having better season offensively.
Now that Montreal sits 25th in the league with a -20 goal differential and the majority of the team underperforming, the fan base wants Bergevin out of the GM chair. It’s true that the Habs need a change in management.
Although they’ve only missed the playoffs twice in his tenure, the shape of the team has never given the impression that they could compete for a Stanely Cup. Perhaps the 2013-14 Montreal Canadiens could’ve won that series against the New York Rangers if Carey Price wasn’t taken out with injury, but we’ll never know.
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That being said, it’s not the right time to fire him. Bergevin isn’t walking on eggshells or sitting in the hot seat; I don’t think there’s any way that he returns as the general manager for the start of the 2018-19 season. Whether the Habs decide to go on a short retool or consider this season a one-off and try to come back stronger, Bergevin shouldn’t be the one to see it through.
Geoff Molson needs to take his time in hiring the next general manager. He needs to trust in the fact that whoever is given the title can do a good job and give Habs fans something to look forward to. It’s tough to have that kind of screening process in the middle of the season.
The Habs could choose to fire him anyway and let Scott Mellanby and Trevor Timmins take over until a new GM is found, but the organization doesn’t need any more noise. A lot of fans are looking forward to the off-season in the hopes that the team can convince John Tavares to sign, but there could be a lot more changes over the summer than we initially anticipated.
Next: The Odds of Making the Playoffs
Do you think the Habs will wait to fire Bergevin? Would you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.