Nothing sends the message of accountability more than getting traded away. If we are looking to trade those guys - and we should be - then benching/demoting doesn’t make sense. It’s a lost season anyways.
I guess im more optimistic than most Habs fans, though I am a little puzzled at how bad we are playing - i wasnt expecting the playoffs, but i was expecting something like .500
Everybody keeps running with the *Nick can do it narrative* lol. I guess it makes them feel good to pretend nick was shutting down top lines lol , the cope is insane.
Personally I’d have traded Matheson over the offseason so I’m not sure what they’re doing.
Getting Bedard and Celebrini haven't magically lifted the Sharks or Hawks from the depth of the standings. Both started their rebuild a year after the Habs and have older line-ups then the Habs.
When it will help. Bergevin had the big pieces, he needed secondary pieces, bug he mostly picked up guys who couldn’t play second pairing D while the stars got older and more injured. He needed to be pushed to make some short term moves.
I still think a number 1 center is a better pick at the number 1 spot than a big winger.
Most fans were bullied relentlessly for disagreeing with Bergevin's moves. If you thought he didn't win a trade, you were called a bad person (or worse). A part-time commentator in the English Montreal Gazette, Brendan Kelly, was non-stop shat on for having mildly contrarian takes.
I value 1C more than scoring W and big-body-W-who-doesn't-play-big. Celebrini, Bedard, Slaf.
I think the reactions you got about Bergevin’s moves kind of depended on what forum or social media platform you were using. I’ve been mostly using HFHabs for 10 years after I got tired of the toxic mainboard and I can’t really remember a time I got flamed for criticizing him vocally on his moves. In fact the few people that did attempt to defend him here were the ones who ended up getting attacked the worst. It seemed like most of the regulars here from 2016 right until MB was fired were mostly anti-Bergevin. That may have been different on places like twitter or Reddit but it’s hard to take those platforms serious when it comes to hockey talk. Way too many casual fans in those places or die hards that avoided this place because they refuse to actually criticize the team about anything.
I was on twitter and reddit and it was intolerable. I don't write in French very well but French language communities were also full of cope and vinegar.
I get people’s patience is wearing thin. It’s started to happen to me this season. I’m more frustrated with MSL then anyone else right this moment. I think people have been giving him to much rope playing the rebuild card. But the expectations when you are in a rebuild are different then let’s say Bergevin in 2018 when the team had a terrible offseason and finished in the bottom 5. Some point soon, you will see the tide start to shift on HuGo if things don’t turn around. We just aren’t at that point yet.
Quite frankly its not even close and it also applies to guys like Martone or Byfield , although byfield does play C but he is also an ogre. Just an unlucky year , its fine though we will get another crack at the top 5
Bergevin was a disaster anybody who couldn't admit it after 3 years was just a homer. This is a totally different situation we are literally rebuilding and bottoming out , something we never even though was possible in this market and now everybody is mad , the casual fans are actual idiots who don't follow hockey and the league , So it it what it is it's not gonna change.
Cc pacing for 55! That’s good stuff.
Tables turned quick on Bergevin and Molson when Price got hurt early in 2016 and the team had that historical collapse which somehow didn’t lead to the very unpopular Therrien getting fired. That was when the foxhole was first exposed and Bergevin never recovered his reputation after that despite surviving another 5 seasons.
Why the urgency?
Because they convinced themselves that then team should be good , while hugo did all but say we tanking one more year .
As I mentioned, I had been so negative towards the Habs for so long. I really wanted to give MB the benefit of the doubt. But right out of the gate his moves were God awful. I had hopes that maybe getting Vanek would be a turning point but we played him on the 3rd line. It was just so stupid.
I don't think the tables ever turned on Bergevin and especially not Molson. Some grumbling here and there but the fanbase and the city didn't have much negativity or hostility toward Bergevin. They threw Subban's name under the bus and many fans ate that up with two spoons and a ladle. Later we even saw hype jobs for "Minty" Kotkaniemi and whatever memes. Right up to the start of the first tank season 2021-2022 Bergevin was solidly above 50% approval at all times in his 10 years. Even as he entered his final season, the media largely felt he "earned" a contract extension. No one was clamoring for his firing. Geoff Molson offered him an extension.
