It seems like year after year at this time the Montreal Canadiens fanbase gets fed the same line of excuses by the organization. Regardless of what the organization says, the fact remains that this organization has once again failed to really improve the on-ice roster. As of July 13, I’m done being patient with Marc Bergevin.
As the NHL turned it’s attention away from the draft and towards the free agency period, rumours and rumblings of possible offer-sheets and offer-sheet targets were swirling everywhere on social media. People were excited and optimistic that this would be the off-season where we would see an offer-sheet.
Now, think back to July 1. It is Canada Day, and just like every good Canadian, you are stapled to your couch watching TSN’s Free Agency Frenzy. The regularly scheduled programming is interrupted as news breaks that the Montreal Canadiens have signed Sebastian Aho to an offer-sheet.
This is where the frenzy began. Everyone, media members and fans alike, rushed to get as many of the details as possible to fully understand what exactly the offer was. This was Marc Bergevin’s plan, I’m sure of it. It did not take long for people to realize that there was a very good chance that the offer-sheet would be matched by Carolina and Montreal would once again be left with nothing but marginal improvements. The only difference between this year and previous ones, Marc Bergevin has actual, tangible evidence that he did, in fact, try something.
We have heard this from this General Manager many times before. His excuses for not being able to dramatically improve the roster when improvements are needed usually sound like:
- Well, just because we did not sign players does not mean that we didn’t try.
- Making trades is hard, it isn’t like when I play PlayStation 4.
- If I had signed players to the money they were asking everyone would have called me crazy (which is probably his favourite because he can recycle it for trades to: If I had given up the assets the other team was asking for everyone would have thought I was crazy.)
Any of these sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so. One of the first thoughts that popped into my mind when I saw the news of the Aho offer-sheet was that this was a fantastic publicity stunt by a general manager that knew he had to do something. Marc Bergevin knew that he needed to have more to say at his July 1 press conference than the usual, well we tried some stuff but nothing came from it garbage that we normally get.
I hate to be the one to break it to you guys, but that is exactly what the Aho offer-sheet was. It was a self-serving opportunity for Marc Bergevin to look at the media and the fans and hold up this shiny offer-sheet and say that he tried. Everyone knew (whether they wanted to admit it to themselves or not) that Carolina was going to be matching this offer-sheet!
Regardless of the large signing bonuses that need to be paid out in the first 12 months of the contract, Carolina was always going to match. There was talk that Tom Dundon was not going to be able to afford those dollar figures. That talk is bull—-! Plain and simple. This isn’t the Carolina Hurricanes from a few years ago. Sure, they operate on a budget. Sure, that budget might be lower than other teams’ budgets. That does not translate into them letting their best player go, especially not for only a first, a second, and a third round pick.
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This offer-sheet was Marc Bergevin playing both sides of the coin. He wanted to improve his roster but was not willing to give up multiple assets to do it. Make no mistake, it isn’t a coincidence that the offer-sheet came just under the threshold that would have required two first round picks instead of just one. Marc Bergevin and Geoff Molson thought they could squeeze Aho out of Carolina, while Don Waddell and Tom Dundon would simply sit back and watch them do it.
So, where does that leave the Montreal Canadiens? Let me tell you. AT THE EXACT SAME PLACE THEY WERE IN WHEN THEY FINISHED THE SEASON!
This team struggled to score goals last year. At the end of the day, there has not been a significant addition to the forward corps that would maybe help add to the lack of goal-scoring. In fact, there has only been a subtraction by trading away Andrew Shaw BACK TO CHICAGO!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. There is a good chance that one or both of Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki will make the team out of training camp. My question to you is: is that going to be out of necessity or because they are really ready to play and contribute consistently at the National Hockey League level?
I’ve said on multiple occasions, whether it be in my writing here or screaming into my microphone for the Not Habin’ It Podcast, that there were two glaring needs for this team going into the off-season. The first being a scoring forward, and the second being a proven and established left-handed defenceman for the top-4. Those two holes have yet to be filled.
Sure, Bergevin went out and signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year deal, but please do not sit here and tell me you want Chiarot playing top minutes with Shea Weber! There is still a need for an established top-4 defenceman that has yet to be addressed. Then when we look at the need up front, Bergevin has yet to do anything to address that too! Aside from his failed, and miserable attempt at an offer-sheet for Sebastian Aho this General Manager has once again DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to add to his forward corps. Enough is enough and I am done being patient.
As things stand on Saturday, July 13, 2019, this is pretty much the exact same team that we saw miss the playoffs last year. Sure, the additions of Poehling and Suzuki will be good if they both make the team. But let’s not forget how much this coach loves to play young guys! With so many teams in the East getting better this off-season (hello Florida and the Rangers), the Montreal Canadiens are going to be in even more trouble come spring next season to make the playoffs.
Marc Bergevin needs to do something, and once again fans are talking about this team hasn’t improved itself since last season. I really hope he proves me wrong here. I really hope he is able to do something else before the start of the season because I don’t think this team has enough to make the playoffs next season. He needs to do a better job, or Geoff Molson needs to go out and find someone who will.