Montreal Canadiens: Bottom of the managerial food chain

A lot of things have gone wrong for the Montreal Canadiens this season, and Marc Bergevin has a big part in it, and the rest of the league knows it.

After the final buzzer in April, Montreal Canadiens fans will put down their phones and laptops, and take a long refreshing breath. At that point, it’ll be all over. The regular season will be a thing of the past and while June and the draft become the buzz nest for the Habs.

However, it’s a common trait to look for someone to blame. Someone to harbour all the anger, sadness, and frustration from six months worth of mediocre games. That person is Marc Bergevin, and rightly so. There’s no way the general manager can escape even the slightest amount of criticism after a year like this.

The thing is, it’s not so much the moves that Habs fans will hold on to – and there have been a handful of suspecting ones – but the comments.

Was the lack of goal-scoring because of an inability to convert or just a lack of skill? Well with the players the Habs had at the time, it was fair to assume that they just couldn’t find a bounce. The same could be said for a lot of their games this year. But losing offensive weapons and only relying on comeback seasons wasn’t the answer.

The only player to have answered the call is Brendan Gallagher who is sitting pretty with 21 goals. Beneath him is Max Pacioretty who is continuing to fall to subzero temperatures again.

Is the defence this year better than last’s? Noooooooooooooooope. Jeff Petry has stepped up in Shea Weber‘s absence from the team taking his overall play as a defenceman to another level. Victor Mete is making strides but at times reminds fans that he is only a rookie. Claude Julien is keeping his minutes around the 15 mark, but growth is the 19-year-old’s goal.

Jakub Jerabek is an NHL defenceman who isn’t being used at the moment. It’s been six games since he’s seen any ice which is frustrating considering his capabilities on the blueline. Granted, he’s made some mistakes, but not any worse then the one’s Jordie Benn or Joseph Morrow have committed this year. Perhaps Julien is waiting for a trade to free up some room. Either way, it’s tough seeing Jerabek sit constantly.

Karl Alzner has been far from the defenceman Montreal wanted when they signed him. A lot of goals against have come off a misread play or a missed player by him. There have been some nights where Alzner will commit to his role on the blueline, but the negatives far outweigh the positives. It may just be a poor year for him.

He’s not the only one who’s disappointed. The overall performance of the team is nowhere close to being his fault, but Carey Price would even admit that he hasn’t had the best season. The 30-year-old gives the team a chance to win every night and has some sort of eye-widening save. However, there have been some goals allowed by Price that you would’ve liked him to have.