Montreal Canadiens must change the nature of their roster construction

The Montreal Canadiens can start doing something similar. It may be too late in the game to fully rebuild, and Bergevin isn’t a fan of that. However, it’s not too late to give roster spots to younger players who deserve them. Jordan Weal and Dale Weise are soldiers and never cheat you for effort, but they shouldn’t be playing ahead of young skill.

At the same time, the Habs could also go the other way. Instead of having young players on the team, they can package them in trades to make serious game-changing moves. But again, Bergevin has voiced his distaste on moving picks and prospects.

It’s a prime example of wanting to have your cake and eat it too. Bergevin wants the Montreal Canadiens to be competitive but won’t trade his assets in the hope of sticking with the ‘rebuild on the fly.’ At the same time, they’d rather provide spots on the roster to older depth players instead of giving their young talent full-time roles.

I understand that sometimes, a player shows they may not be ready or that they could use a stint in the AHL to build confidence. I also understand that it doesn’t make sense to have a young player make the NHL to play on the fourth line. But Suzuki proved it doesn’t need to stay that way.

He made the team as a fourth-line winger and worked his way up to a second-line centre. Why can’t that be the same for the rest of the youth?

More prospects are on their way, and you never know who will stand out at training camp. The Montreal Canadiens must decide who and what they are moving forward. If you want to be competitive, prove it. If you want to be young and skilled, prove it.