Marc Bergevin Press Conference 1 PM

[sheed36]

Oooh @Runner77 is back from his hiatus. Welcome back!

Though I have to ask, was your absence a result of a promise you made to your wife for your vaycay?

He's been back posting on the mainboard for a little while now. We might have to pull off something like this to get him back posting around here though.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Is it really that deep? From the prospects not on the Habs roster last season how many will actually make an impact? How many will be a top 6 forward or top 4 defenceman?

Guhle, maybe Norlinder. Who else?

I see the current roster as mediocre (9-12 range in the Eastern Conference) and I’m not that thrilled about the future as well.

8th highest draft power from 17-21. Its a deep prospect pool and yes, there will be busts. However, this is one of the best pools or youth I have seen in recent memory and I don't focus on NHL vs Non NHL only either. Suzuki, Romanov, Caufield still count as youth. Evans not so much cause he is older and more mature. This graduation thing don't hold value in team direction when I look at youth/prospect pool. Understand?

What you are looking at is potential stars in the pool. The idea that we lack stars and other teams have them and therefore our pool is not so good is something I'm going to steer clear of. Who's going to be top 6F or top 4D? We don't know. The point is our youth and pool is strong and we have probability working in our favor now more than before. Deflating it cause we don't have sure shot guys is a weak narrative. Our probability to produce NHL players (top or mid parts) moving forward is high cause we have quantity. Yes, some will bust but some will surprise.

Am I thrilled about our current roster? No. Can you quote me as saying I am thrilled? I see top 12/13/14 - 20 range after the Dvorak trade. Let me say it again... I like our roster cause I like our ability to make the playoffs now vs our chances in prior years before last year. I like our prospect pool/youth cause I think it's the best we have had in recent memory.

 

[Archijerej]

MB has said in the past the players will make the decision for them abiut whether they make the team out of camp.

KK was a benefactor of weak center depth and a pretty good training camp in order to make it as an 18 year old.

The takeaway then is that maybe this policy should have some exceptions, as it ultimately has not helped KK to date, and I think it probably hurt Mete as well who came on the scene in similar circumstances.

But I'm also assuming that whatever is said in PC's actually should be taken at face value, which is probably a stretch on my part as well.

I think awarding a roster spot based on training camp is a fundamental mistake. It should be a factor, but not a decisive one.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

He's been back posting on the mainboard for a little while now. We might have to pull off something like this to get him back posting around here though.

Runner and the fallout of Philip Danault, lol

 

[jaffy27]

I guess Caufield is just 3 years older than JK. And i also guess that if Caufield would have spend 1 year in the AHL, it woud not have hurt him too.

Caufield is 20 while JK is 21.....and Caufield don't need to spend 1yr in AHL, think he's proven that.

 

[ole ole]

We're you not around in June & July?

Credit was given in spades... GM job is to build a winner, and the offseason is one of the most important times of the year.

Are you happy with the work he's done?

Defense worse.
C group at best the same, likely worse unless Suzuki makes yet another big jump.
Still a cap spending team without 1 elite skater.
Likely even further from a playoff spot than at start of last season.

I'd say that with an offseason like that, if anything, he's getting a far bigger pass than 1 good playoff run in 6 years would warrant in any market, let alone a jockey obsessed one like montreal

What would you have done this off-season.
List players and names.
PS Don't forget about the cap and up-coming players that need to be resigned.
We'll all be waiting for your response .

 

[jaffy27]

Do you think Bergy deserves some accountability for a cup finals? Or is it only allowed to acknowledge the negatives?

no no.....we made the finals because of covid, lunar gravity and star alignment.

 

[Habs Halifax]

And what constitute messing up? How do you define it? How do you quantify it? If we miss the playoffs the next two seasons will he have messed up or he will have built a great prospect pool (the argument being made the last time we missed the playoffs).

One example: Norlinder makes the team cause he shows that he can skate, pass, and "he don't look out of place". I'm a fan of Norlinder but he has to show ability to be trusted in our own end and make good decisions with the puck. Others will look at offensive ability but that's not how I would evaluate my D. I look at how physical you can play, how you can escape pressure, and how you can be in the right position. His offensive game is not in question.

Basically, messing up would be rushing them to fill holes cause you need them and not allowing them to fly under the radar like Poehling and Brook did last year in the AHL. Same with Harris... another NCAA year and coming in as pro one year later is good thing with me. Speculating that he don't want to play for the Habs because he wants to play with his current core of team he has grown with and they think they can win? I'll leave that to others who play the speculation game. Guys not willing to sign with their teams is very very rare. Possible but unlikely, not worried about it.

This current pool is really only going to pay off once they reach prime. Most players only reach prime at 23-25 range. Only guys like Suzuki, Romanov, and Caufield show ability earlier which indicates they are impact players. Suzuki and Caufield more than Romanov but I'm a fan of Romanov. He is obsessed with hockey and this kid should be very good if he learns the maturity part of playing D in the NHL.

 

[BLONG7]

MB mentioned there are things that sending KK back to Finland at 18 wouldn’t have fixed. I wonder what he was alluding to. Likely his skating? Maybe stop drafting bad skaters.

MB drafted a project, and decided to cut his losses 3 years in because he of an offer sheet..........and yes, he did do well in spite of all that....I really like the Dvorak trade, I think this player is, where KK needs to go.....no more waiting at this point, Dvorak is there...

 

[jaffy27]

MB mentioned there are things that sending KK back to Finland at 18 wouldn’t have fixed. I wonder what he was alluding to. Likely his skating? Maybe stop drafting bad skaters.

I believe personal commitment in the off season.....just guessing here

 

[jaffy27]

MB drafted a project, and decided to cut his losses 3 years in because he of an offer sheet..........and yes, he did do well in spite of all that....I really like the Dvorak trade, I think this player is, where KK needs to go.....no more waiting at this point, Dvorak is there...

plus he compensated himself with 2 picks and cap relief.....it's a safe gamble and I'm on record in saying I would've done the same.....let him go, trade for Dvorak or Hrtel and keep a 1st round pick

 

[ole ole]

Maybe you should join them, as they are pretty childish, just like your reply.

I never said I wanted MB to overpay, but I guess when you don't have a leg to stand on, all youcan do is either stfu or create a strawman like you just did.

Also, Leafs fans are pretty big on delusions. You'd fit right in.

So what should have M.B. offered KK. Please enlighten us?

 

[Habaneros]

MB drafted a project, and decided to cut his losses 3 years in because he of an offer sheet..........and yes, he did do well in spite of all that....I really like the Dvorak trade, I think this player is, where KK needs to go.....no more waiting at this point, Dvorak is there...

Laine ...Jesse P...KK....3 Fins who all spoke out. About how they was being handled by their teams in regard to development

 

[Habaneros]

So what should have M.B. offered KK. Please enlighten us?

Bergy offered KK what Kk wanted..the door

 

[ole ole]

Bergy offered KK what Kk wanted..the door

Exactly.

 

[Habano]

I would ask him what makes him so high on a guy, other then his junior years, that has never produced more then 38 pts in a season at 25 years old.

I agree. We all complained about Danault's point production but, he had more points than Dvorak at even strength last season.

Maybe, like some people here think, you can attribute it to playing with less talented wingers but I just don't see it. He did not only play with Pitlick and Crouse as line mates. He had plenty of ice time where either Kessel or Keller were his wingers. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

[jaffy27]

Bergy offered KK what Kk wanted..the door

 

[26Mats]

You aren't exhibiting any foresight as tying up over 11 million in KK and Danault would have crippled us especially with Suzuki and Caufield looking for big increases in each of the next two seasons.

Then you want to trade our 1st + for Dvorak to play exactly where in the lineup?????

You don't give 5 goal scorers similar money to Marchand and MacKinnon on the hope that 3 years from now there is a slim chance that they become Sean Couturier. That is just abysmal business practice.

I would have gone into the season with 2 of Danault, Dvorak, and KK.

Center is an important position. I don't mind paying for it. I would have moved the likes of Drouin, Anderson, Armia, amd Byron to have the cap space for Suzuki and Caufield. The centers being discussed are more important than those 4 wingers.

It's abysmal and lacking in foresight not to understand that moves for certain players don't occur in a vacuum, and that you can move other players if you seem them.more important.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I would have gone into the season with 2 of Danault, Dvorak, and KK.

Center is an important position. I don't mind paying for it. I would have moved the likes of Drouin, Anderson, Armia, amd Byron to have the cap space for Suzuki and Caufield. The centers being discussed are more important than those 4 wingers.

It's abysmal and lacking in foresight not to understand that moves for certain players don't occur in a vacuum, and that you can move other players if you seem them.more important.

Danault asked for way too much and clearly did not want to be here any longer. There is no way that MB could have known that KK was going to be offered an idiotic deal for triple what he was worth.

As it is Evans was already going to step in for Danault and may very well prove to be a capable replacement and Dvorak is an immediate upgrade on KK all for a fraction of the cost of retaining Danault and KK.

You entirely are lacking in foresight with your suggestion that you would have gone into the season with 2 of Dvorak,Danault and KK as you have already stated that you would have signed Danault and you are steadfast in your claim that you would have matched the offer sheet. There is no way in your scenario that Dvorak could be acquired unless you concede that Danault was going to L.A. despite Montreal offering more. Even in a scenario where you lose Danault and match KK's offer sheet and trade our 1st and a '24 2nd for Dvorak we are without a first with 10.5 per season tied up in KK and Dvorak with Suzuki now guaranteed to also make more than 6.1 next season and Caufield surpassing that the following season.

Your business plan absolutely puts us in cap purgatory and extremely vulnerable to offer sheets on both Caufield and Suzuki.

You claim that I am dealing in a vacuum lol??? You are operating in an EA sports GM mode.

 

[26Mats]

Danault asked for way too much and clearly did not want to be here any longer. There is no way that MB could have known that KK was going to be offered an idiotic deal for triple what he was worth.

As it is Evans was already going to step in for Danault and may very well prove to be a capable replacement and Dvorak is an immediate upgrade on KK all for a fraction of the cost of retaining Danault and KK.

You entirely are lacking in foresight with your suggestion that you would have gone into the season with 2 of Dvorak,Danault and KK as you have already stated that you would have signed Danault and you are steadfast in your claim that you would have matched the offer sheet. There is no way in your scenario that Dvorak could be acquired unless you concede that Danault was going to L.A. despite Montreal offering more. Even in a scenario where you lose Danault and match KK's offer sheet and trade our 1st and a '24 2nd for Dvorak we are without a first with 10.5 per season tied up in KK and Dvorak with Suzuki now guaranteed to also make more than 6.1 next season and Caufield surpassing that the following season.

Your business plan absolutely puts us in cap purgatory and extremely vulnerable to offer sheets on both Caufield and Suzuki.

You claim that I am dealing in a vacuum lol??? You are operating in an EA sports GM mode.

I would have gotten Dvorak if I didn't get either KK or Danault. That's why I say 2 of the 3. Those centers are more important than Anderson, Drouin, Byron, and Armia. Move some combination of those wingers, and we're out of cap purgatory. That's not EA sports, just dealings in a cap era.

Having said that, I didn't like Danault's attitude toward "his role." His role was established as a shutdown C in the playoff run, where he wasn't very productive offensively, as he didn't need to be. He earns his pay checks as an elite shutdown C, capable of shutting down the elite C's of the league. And he said during the playoffs, when he wasn't producing offensively, that he was having the best, happiest moments of his career. So I really don't know why he was still going on about the role LA promised him when he just lived his ideal role...

And there are risks with KK. MB and the organization for one, seem to have very serious doubts about whether KK can reach his potential. I never liked the pick from the beginning. But you hope the moments he looked good could be more consistent when he filled out and had more strength and stamina.

 

[dcyhabs]

Well of course he did since Mete was playing D while being the softest player on the team. Where's Mete now? And still soft as shit.

Still needing the time in the minors he didn't get as Weber's partner.

 

[dcyhabs]

I would have gotten Dvorak if I didn't get either KK or Danault. That's why I say 2 of the 3. Those centers are more important than Anderson, Drouin, Byron, and Armia. Move some combination of those wingers, and we're out of cap purgatory. That's not EA sports, just dealings in a cap era.

Having said that, I didn't like Danault's attitude toward "his role." His role was established as a shutdown C in the playoff run, where he wasn't very productive offensively, as he didn't need to be. He earns his pay checks as an elite shutdown C, capable of shutting down the elite C's of the league. And he said during the playoffs, when he wasn't producing offensively, that he was having the best, happiest moments of his career. So I really don't know why he was still going on about the role LA promised him when he just lived his ideal role...

And there are risks with KK. MB and the organization for one, seem to have very serious doubts about whether KK can reach his potential. I never liked the pick from the beginning. But you hope the moments he looked good could be more consistent when he filled out and had more strength and stamina.

Danault's ideal role is probably going to the beach unrecognized pretty often and not seeing himself on the news while playing a minor role for a team that won't need him when it's good. He wants to enjoy life and not work too hard, understandable.

 

[CHfan1]

8th highest draft power from 17-21. Its a deep prospect pool and yes, there will be busts. However, this is one of the best pools or youth I have seen in recent memory and I don't focus on NHL vs Non NHL only either. Suzuki, Romanov, Caufield still count as youth. Evans not so much cause he is older and more mature. This graduation thing don't hold value in team direction when I look at youth/prospect pool. Understand?

What you are looking at is potential stars in the pool. The idea that we lack stars and other teams have them and therefore our pool is not so good is something I'm going to steer clear of. Who's going to be top 6F or top 4D? We don't know. The point is our youth and pool is strong and we have probability working in our favor now more than before. Deflating it cause we don't have sure shot guys is a weak narrative. Our probability to produce NHL players (top or mid parts) moving forward is high cause we have quantity. Yes, some will bust but some will surprise.

Am I thrilled about our current roster? No. Can you quote me as saying I am thrilled? I see top 12/13/14 - 20 range after the Dvorak trade. Let me say it again... I like our roster cause I like our ability to make the playoffs now vs our chances in prior years before last year. I like our prospect pool/youth cause I think it's the best we have had in recent memory.

I think potentials stars ands sure fire NHL players make a prospect pool. If the Habs are going to be perennial contenders in the futures they need impact players. NHL players like Lehkonen, Evans are good to have but they aren’t going to win a team the Cup, players like Point, Hedman, and Kucherov do that. On the roster, yes Suzuki and Caufield are two up and coming impact players, Romanov maybe. Outside of Guhle I’m not sure who else can be a top roster player for the Habs.

As far as where the Habs current roster is concerned the problem is they play in a very tough division and conference. I think 8 of the best 10 teams in the league are in the East (Colorado and Vegas being the other two). I still see them in the 9-12 range in the conference putting them outside the playoffs and, unfortunately, I see their draft pick in the 11-16 range in 2022.

 

[smcgreg]

But the Canes had to overpay double contract wise for that player.

Not only that, but they have to deal with 1) the cap issues that come with that contract, 2) the QO issues that come next year and 3) the domino effect it will have on other contract negotiations for players in the next 2 years. The only way this works out well for canes is if KK explodes into a 5+ M dollar player this season. If not, they are jammed up with all of the issues listed above. I think that is a very, very unlikely scenario given the trajectory of the player's development path. Not placing blame for that, just stating that is is a very uncomfortable bed the Canes have to sleep in the next year or two while this situation sorts itself out. AND that just for the situation not to be bad for them. For it to be clearly good, KK needs to be an 8 M dollar player next year or clearly projected to be in one more year. There is a very narrow path for the Canes to look good in this and a very wide path for it to go badly for them.

This is a situation where it was better for MB to be lucky than be good. The Canes made a very bad poker move and helped MB out of a jam.

 

[McGees]

I wish I knew the offers Carolina made prior to offer sheet. It sounds like Habs were entertaining them so definitely didn’t see KK as a core untouchable asset.