by Gregorio Lentini, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
The trade deadline is only a few weeks away, and it might very well be Marc Bergevin’s last one with the Habs. The General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens has been on thin ice with Habs’ fans ever since he infamously traded the passionate P.K. Subban for the sturdy Shea Weber. However, with the Habs sitting fourth-last in the entire league, that ice is beginning to crack.
With the team on track to miss their second playoffs in two years, the Habs are going nowhere fast. Since this team has been constructed by Bergevin, it would appear logical to blame him for the team’s under-performance. While I believe that Bergevin deserves a good deal of blame from a general standpoint, I wanted to revisit his tenure from another angle.
In the first article of this two-part series, I discussed some general criticisms of Bergevin’s tenure. This time, I will try to delve deeper into three of Bergevin’s “signature” moves.
I want to reiterate that the goal of this article is not to suggest that Bergevin is a phenomenal GM, nor is it to argue one way or another about whether he should remain at the helm of the organization. The purpose of the article is to bring my personal perspective on Bergevin’s actions and where I feel he has been undervalued.
Mismanagement of Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov
It is interesting to imagine what this team might have looked like if Marc Bergevin had re-signed Alexander Radulov and Andrei Markov. Radulov’s intensity would have probably sparked the first line and most likely helped Pacioretty to reach 30 goals again as in past years.
Even at 39 years of age, Markov’s vision alone would have improved this year’s underwhelming defence. Instead, both players are excelling with their current clubs, and Montreal is at the bottom of the league.
Since Bergevin let these players slip through his fingers, it appear obvious that he is at fault. However, when examining each situation closer, I wonder if it becomes difficult to administer blame to one person alone.
After Radulov signed with Dallas, several scenarios circulated on how the negotiation process unfolded. Marc Bergevin claims that he offered Radulov the same terms that Alex accepted from Dallas. Radulov contends that the Canadiens matched the offer from Dallas only after he had already agreed to a contract with the Stars.
Radulov told Sportsnet, “To be honest with you, I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay and I really enjoyed to be there.” The 31-year-old added, “It was too late, though.”
Whatever the story, the two sides did not come to an agreement and Radulov was off to Dallas.
Markov’s situation was different considering money was no longer an issue. To me, it is unclear why exactly Markov is not currently in a Habs uniform. While term was initially a sticking-point, Markov was willing to accept a one-year deal from the Canadiens.
When interviewed by the Journal de Montreal, Markov expressed that he wanted to stay. His wife Sonia said that Andrei’s heart is with the Canadiens and his home is in Montreal. Former teammate Alexei Emelin said that Andrei “was very sad to leave Montreal.”
Markov was tight-lipped about the reasons that the negotiations fell apart. But he did say that there was very little communication from the Canadiens general manager, a contract offered with a take-it-or-leave-it air of finality. Markov felt disrespected by the process.
The clearest answer to me is that Markov’s lack of an agent made the negotiation process much more personal. According to Bergevin, if Markov had an agent, Andrei would have been with the organization.
Negotiating contracts generally involves one party emphasizing their contributions to raise their salaries and the other party emphasizing the negatives to lower it. This is one of the reasons an overwhelming majority of players hire agents. Among other benefits, the agent acts as an intermediary so as to not meld emotions with business.
The question then becomes: was there a lack of respect during the negotiation, or was the emphasis on the negatives overly personal?
It is important to remember that Bergevin took a chance on Markov by signing him to a three-year deal when Andrei was thirty-five. Perhaps Bergevin wanted him back. But it is also possible that Bergevin may have played hard-ball.
At the Canadiens annual golf tournament to kick off the season, Bergevin seemed to minimize the loss of Markov saying, “Let’s keep in mind, we didn’t lose a 25-year-old defenceman. Andrei was going to turn 39 in December.”
Since the specifics of the process are not fully known, it would be incorrect to objectively administer blame to one party over another. It is an unfortunate occurrence, one that I suspect all parties wish never happened.
Trading Mikail Sergachev for Jonathan Drouin
At the time of this trade, Bergevin most likely assumed Radulov and Markov would be back. This trade was therefore intended to bolster the offence and try to make a playoff push. Bergevin probably assumed that it would take a few years for Mikhail Sergachev to blossom.
However, Radulov and Markov were not re-signed, leaving less talent to play alongside Jonathan Drouin.
In my opinion, it is still too early to consider this trade a loss. Drouin was put into the number one centre role, a position he has never played in the NHL, surrounded by a team lacking talent. His position is a demanding role that can take time for some players to adapt.
Meanwhile, Sergachev is playing on the league’s best team alongside one of the best defencemen in Victor Hedman. Sergachev benefits from the talent level around him but is also under increased pressure given the number of players vying for lineup slots and icetime.
Both players are very young and, in my opinion, both have the potential to become true impact players.
The biggest problem with this trade is that the Canadiens did not obtain a bona fide centre in return. Matt Duchene or Kyle Turris might have been available, but in my opinion, trading Sergachev would have been an overpayment. Since Bergevin likely wanted to make a push, it is understandable that he would have tried to obtain an offensive player with more of a skill-set.
Essentially, the Drouin-Sergachev trade would have looked a lot better had Radulov and Markov signed, but since they didn’t, it doesn’t. In retrospect, Bergevin should have held onto Sergachev to wait for a higher-quality centre to become available.
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With all that said, we will have to see what becomes of Marc Bergevin. No matter who is in charge, I simply hope that they have a reasoned plan for the near-future of the Canadiens.
While the Habs may currently have the thirteenth-longest Stanley Cup drought in the league, which actually puts them in the middle of the league, twenty-five years is still a long time. I’m sure we can all agree that we do not want to wait another twenty-five years before the cup is paraded down St. Catherine.