But the team needs to get into the playoffs first. Bergevin has been a big proponent of the “just get in, and anything can happen” line. We saw it last year with the St. Louis Blues who went all the way and even the Vegas Golden Knights got a touch of that philosophy as they worked up to the Stanley Cup Final.
It’ll take time for the young players to grow into impact players, and Bergevin seems very confident that they can be as he’s been committed to not trading away the future for help. Based on that quote from Weber, it looks as if he and Price are willing to wait until the Montreal Canadiens are in the best position to compete.
However, how long is too long? Can the Habs be sure that Price and Weber will be able to perform four or five years down the line?
When it’s all said and done, Price and Weber can’ t be the ones who are stealing the show. The pieces around them need to be the stars. In some way, you can say Bergevin is taking a risk at relying on those in the organization to get it done without intervening.
Whether this works or not will determine Beregvin’s legacy in Montreal. Will he be praised for showing that patience is indeed a virtue, or will he be known as the general manager who wasted the prime years of Shea Weber and Carey Price? Only time will tell.