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Boy oh boy, you and a few others can always be counted on to allow your disdain for Bergevin to cloud most rational judgement revolving around any conversation about the guy. We're not only fabricating scenarios now where NHL teams are , allegedly, not constantly trying to become cup contenders and then hopefully, cup winners, but also alluding to boldness as the key ingredient missing to have true success. By your Cup or Bust logic, I assume David Poile is as incompetent as they come, be it he has yet to win a Cup in Nashville since 97. Perhaps you also think Doug Wilson a terribly inept GM, considering his multiple failed cup runs since 2003. Since when, in a league of 30 or more teams, has winning a cup become the defining measuring stick to judge a GMs work? A 1 in 30 chance is all you get to be considered a good NHL GM? Really??? It is and always should be, the overall success or failure of their body of work, every GM in this league is going to hit and miss, be it in a trade, a signing, or a draft pick. What ultimately matters is whether you have a GM in place who can hit more than he misses, whether he can slam home a home run every so often to help the team overcome a hurdle. And if that team is lucky enough, that kind of track record could lead them to becoming a team who has a shot at going far, which can then become a team, where if all goes fantastically well, and the stars align, can potentially win a cup. It is like you are saying Yzerman did a shitty job as GM in Tampa because they didn't win the cup while he was there. He did tremendous work, did more good moves than bad, drafted well, and turned them into a very good team, they may not have won a cup yet, but that does not discredit his overall work as an NHL GM, it was top notch. Bergevin has made his blunders, he has hit his home runs, and he did in fact have a real busted up offseason a couple of years ago, he wasn't fired, and given the opportunity to implement a new plan, knowing full well, this time, its failure will be his demise. I am sorry he wasn't fired 2 or 3 years ago as you so desperately had hoped, but the guy has been nothing short of solid since. He has executed his plan pretty admirably, we all know what is going on here, we are in the midst of a quick turn around rebuild, driven by drafting, youth, and sprinkle of patience so we can watch it grow. We have stock piled picks for 2 summers now, soon to be 3, we have drafted well in each of those, we have managed our cap well enough that there is room to go big game hunting if the opportunity presents itself, yet the willingness to push forward with our youth and whatever comes with that in the meantime, instead of collapsing onto plan G as we have in the past. Some of you are still shitting on 2016 -2017 Bergevin, in nearly 2020, we have been watching a different machine running here for the past 2 years folks, open your eyes and accept it, judge that, because the past, it already got forgiven when he wasn't fired, might as well move forward like the rest of us.

A couple of points to this. Poile shouldn't get credit for there not being any no-trade protection in Weber's contract. By rule, offer sheets cannot contain any form of no-trade protection. Even if they could, the credit would have to go to Philly's GM who actually negotiated the contract. Second, the potential cap recapture penalty varies by season and in Montreal's situation, they're actually off the hook for it entirely as long as Weber doesn't retire between now and the end of the year (which is a pretty safe bet). Nashville didn't dump any of their obligation in the trade; if anything, they increased their potential obligation substantially by trading him before the cheap years of his deal kicked in. Here's a look at their potential obligations if Weber decides to retire early: Once this season ends, the recapture exposure is solely Nashville's concern, not Montreal's.

Just a constant ray of sunshine. How do you stay so upbeat all the time?

The idea is that poile and wilson kept their jobs cause at least they have made the cup final and bergevin hasnt. Wilson made the final in his 12th season (13 years due to 04-05) after taking over as Sharks GM in 2003. Poile made the final in his 18th season (20 years after being hired, 1 year pre expansion draft and 1 year lockout). So yeah they both would have been fired by your 7 years and no cup final logic for bergevin.

Great response - proves my point. Both GM’s you mention got their teams to the finals. - Which MB hasn’t. both made bold franchise transforming deals and have been drafting wizards. They deserve to keep their jobs. Poile has always made bold moves starting with him fleecing grundman in the langway trade. With an expansion nashville team he has consistently drafted and developed first pairing dmen - very few with high draft picks. He went big game hunting to try and win in a new market by making moves for Forsberg, Kariya made a bold move to trading his captain on a stupid cap hit length salary to get Subban and a bolder move trading Subban because had a stacked D and needed to clear cap room to sign Duchane (which MB failed to do). wilson has consistently been one of the best GM’s making franchise altering trades to get guys like Thornton, burns, Karlsson among others. He has done a masterful job drafting and developing players. both Guys have build solid teams that are considered contenders. The best MB has done has done is built a number of bubble teams that the bubble has popped and have never ever been considered a serious contender or a team that is expected to make the playoffs very year. Not every ttime am is going to win, not good ones try and win. both GM’s you cited consistently made franchise altering trades, attracted top free agents and have shown a commitment to winning. MB showed his commitment the year that price went down and instead of getting a legitimate backup to give his tram a chance folded like a cheap suit. He may dress to dazzle, but he’s probably buying all those clothes with the bonuses he gets from not spending anywhere near to the max. When he spends money you see it being spent in garbage like alzner - who the entire hockey world new was a bad signing the moment it was signed. and you call not assessing the desperate need on left D as a brilliant execution of a plan????? It’s funny most of the clown MB supporters a kept on going on and on in July and August that don’t worry, training camp hasn’t started, he’s got lots of time to address the holes. Well we are going to be almost a quarter way into the season at months end - where’s the LD eceyine was so confident about. Poile and Wilson May not always succeed and haven’t won the cup, but they swing for the fence, we live in the home run era and MB just keeps trying to lay down bunt. He has picked up more 6th dmen and 4th liners to fill those positions for 5 teams. what do you expect me to open my eyes to? That our two highest paid players are on the wrong side of 30 and IF some of the prospects pan out, they may end up being seabrook and Quick??? Or to the fact that we have a Swiss cheese defence???? he has made some good moves of late, but even a blind squirrel finds the nut sometime. Problem is that our blind squirrel is to blind to see that even if we get into the playoffs, we have zero chance with the D he has assembled.

Again...I am not saying the Habs don't want to win a Cup. I'm theorizing that as long as the money is rolling in, they do not feel a burning urgency to win a Cup. It is a distant goal, like retirement is for the average 35-year-old. The analogy with the Leafs from 1968-2014 more or less holds, in my opinion.

I don't think so. Haven't been to coquitlam in ages. Licence plate? I tried to get one and couldn't so I know there is a bchabnut licence plate in bc.

Weber rolled back the clock 10 years for a monster performance. Lehkonen also had a strong night, to my eye. On the other hand, Drouin looked dazed and confused out there almost the entire night. Price was a rock. I agree with BCHabnut (did I meet you in a liquor store in Coquitlam a couple of years back?) that Nate Thompson is a quality 4th liner. This team can roll four lines effectively. The Kings are pathetic.

I like Nate thompson a lot. Not since foolishly letting dominic moore go, have I been this happy with a 4th liner.

If you keep the bus, you might at least drain the fuel and disconnect the battery, better for overwinter storage!

Would like to say yes, but if happen to miss playoffs once again it could be end of his reign, but likely not till the off-season. However, it even seems his most ardent critics are becoming quieter with each win.