Montreal Canadiens: Marc Bergevin’s 5 Best Trade Deadline Moves

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: General manager of the Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin speaks with the media prior to the NHL game against the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: General manager of the Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin speaks with the media prior to the NHL game against the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 18: Jeff Petry #26 (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 18: Jeff Petry #26 (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

2. Jeff Petry

The year after acquiring Mike Weaver and Thomas Vanek and then heading to the Eastern Conference Final, the Canadiens were buyers once again. Except this time, the had Carey Price playing the best hockey of his career and some of the finest puck-stopping we have seen this generation.

Price was well on his way to earning the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy, but the Habs definitely were in need of some defensive help in front of him. They were leaning very heavily on their top pairing of Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban and then had a second pairing of Alexei Emelin and Tom Gilbert.

Sergei Gonchar arrived in an early season trade and played some good minutes but injuries and age caught up to him quickly. Nathan Beaulieu was also proving to be NHL ready that season but he wasn’t going to put in a top four role at the age of 21.

So, the Canadiens were in the market for a defenseman. Especially a right shot defender that could play second pairing minutes with Emelin. So, Bergevin did what many general managers during that entire decade did when they needed a good player: he called the Edmonton Oilers.

Bergevin acquired Jeff Petry for a second round pick and a fourth round pick. Petry was already a smooth skating defender who could carry the puck up ice in a hurry but he hadn’t broken through offensively. Still, it was clear he was a top four defenseman and Bergevin didn’t have to give up a first round pick to acquire him.

That same day, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired Braydon Coburn who had nine points in 39 games and it cost them a first round pick, a third round pick and Radio Gudas. Curtis Gelncross was a forward who had nine goals in 53 games and he went for a second and third round pick. Erik Cole was finally having an okay season after two awful years and he went for a second round pick and Mattias Janmark.

So, getting Petry for a second and fourth was great value for Bergevin once again. Being able to re-sign him to a six year contract and watch him get better and better and continue to set career highs in points each year was just a cherry on top of an already great deadline trade.