Montreal Canadiens: Marc Bergevin says third-overall pick unlikely to be moved
By Omar L
With the NHL Draft less than a month away, we have confirmation from Marc Bergevin that the Montreal Canadiens are unlikely to trade the third overall pick.
The Montreal Canadiens were rewarded for having the painful chunk of months that was the 2017-18 season. After finishing 28th in the league, the draft lottery granted the organization some positivity bumping them up one spot to third. Filip Zadina songs and mock jerseys have been made and displayed ever since.
However, knowing what kind of general manager Marc Bergevin can be at times, the pick wasn’t necessarily safe. As much as the focus has been on youth, there also has to be a goal to ensure a year like this doesn’t happen again. Because of that, fans have continued to check any and all sources for a blockbuster trade.
Who knows if that’s even in Bergevin’s playbook for the offseason. He’s managed to do well with the number of free agents recently signed to the team. That said, any big acquisition would likely involve that third-overall pick.
Bergevin spoke with Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com and put those worries to rest. Unless the Montreal Canadiens have a massive offer at their feet, the third-overall pick is safe and sound. An offer of that significance will probably include a high-calibre centre, but teams are reluctant to want to give those up nowadays.
When asked about the will to hang on to the pick, Bergevin said:
"You pay a hefty price to get that pick. Obviously having the season we had, that’s what gave us the right to pick that high. It’s certainly not the goal when your season starts… So it’s not a fun time for our fans to suffer the way they did this year, but we’re going to get rewarded in Dallas with a pick we feel will make our team better in the long haul. That’s the price to pay.”"
Bergevin also brought up a memory from his time with the Blackhawks where then GM Dale Tallon shared the same sentiment. He felt Chicago suffered for that pick which later became Jonathan Toews.
There’s a lesson in waiting for the good to play out. It looks like the Montreal Canadiens are following that path.
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