Montreal Canadiens: Marc Bergevin’s Cap Constraint is a Familiar Strategy

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin met with the media a day after the acquisition of centreman Eric Staal from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a third and fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

In his last two meetings with members of the Montreal media, Bergevin cited salary cap constraints as the reasons he would likely not be active ahead of the trade deadline on April 12th. In both meetings, Marc Bergevin said that for a move take place, he would have to rely on a “money in, money out” approach. While this does hold true for any NHL team against cap, there remains the possibility that general managers can find the right dance partner.

On Friday afternoon, Marc Bergevin lived up to the “money in” part of his approach to the deadline with the acquisition of Eric Staal from the Buffalo Sabres. In exchange for Staal, the Montreal Canadiens sent over two of their own draft picks, a third and a fifth rounder in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft for the veteran centre. Likewise, the Buffalo Sabres retained 50% of Eric Staal’s $3.2 million.

On Saturday during his second presser in three days, when asked whether the Montreal Canadiens could make any more trades prior to the deadline, Marc Bergevin sang a familiar tune. The general manager stated that due to nearly spending their entire cap, there would not be any moves. Likewise, Marc Bergevin mentioned that he would not be making any further moves to free up cap space. However, if one was not already skeptic about the legitimacy of those statements in the two prior pressers, they no doubt are at this point.

Why do the Montreal Canadiens Need More Cap Space

As it stands, the Montreal Canadiens currently possess $523, 547 in cap space. For those who follow the organization’s pool of prospects on the regular, they already know the organization needs to free up cap space. This is because Wisconsin Badgers forward Cole Caufield concluded his college season on Friday following a 6-3 to the Bemidji State Beavers.

Whether Cole Caufield joins the Montreal Canadiens or spends time with the Laval Rocket is another question. Regardless, the organization signed the 2019 first rounder to a maximum entry-level contract, and they will need cap space they currently do not have.

Player Bonuses

A second reason as to why Marc Bergevin will be looking to create cap space in the coming weeks is due to a reason given earlier this season. To pay their players bonuses at the conclusion of this season, the Montreal Canadiens require enough a certain amount of space to be able to do so. While the bonuses can carry over to the following season, Marc Bergevin has iterated in the past that he would prefer to pay his players’ bonuses on time so that they do not carry over and create further constraints.

The Highest of Expectations

Lastly, no one has spoken of the importance of this season for the Montreal Canadiens organization more than the one making the trades and singing that have signified as much. While this is one of the deepest Montreal Canadiens rosters in recent memory, there are a lot of question marks surrounding the efficacy of the roster.

At the start of the season, the team was one of the best within the North Division; however, they quickly began to falter in what ultimately culminated in the firing of head coach Claude Julien and the appointment of Dominique Ducharme as his interim replacement. Since then, while the club has improved regarding their special teams, goaltending and several players at even-strength, they have struggled to string together successive wins.

While the playoffs might be a lock for the Montreal Canadiens due to the recent performances of the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, the two teams below CH in the North Division, one must wonder if the general manager has enough confidence in the current makeup of his roster to not only make the playoffs but find success upon doing so.

If there is no confidence or Marc Bergevin is just simply looking to make an upgrade, the Montreal Canadiens will require further cap space to add onto the current roster. Perhaps the acquisition of a puck-moving defenseman could be what the team is looking for on a blue line that is otherwise one-dimensional in top-4 apart from Jeff Petry.

Inevitable Changes Looming?

When general manager Marc Bergevin cites cap constraints as the reasoning behind why his club may not be active as the trade deadline approaches, he is obviously being truthful. The Montreal Canadiens spent nearly the entirety of their cap space last offseason with the acquisitions of Tyler Toffoli, Josh Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Jake Allen, Corey Perry, and Michael Frolik. Extensions to Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry that begin next season were also signed.

However, one of the reasons in this editorial or combination of them may have the general manager looking towards freeing up however much cap space is needed, so long as other teams around the league are enticed with what he is offering.