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Quick thoughts here: 1. It is a good question, who MB's replacement might be. I agree that there is a danger that it be Patrick Roy or some other "old fogey with ties to our past Cups," to build on Neech's concern. Think about what this means, though...it means we should keep the current GM because we can't trust ownership to hire someone based on criteria of excellence rather than sentiment. In other words, this organization is absolutely committed to mediocrity; mediocrity is utterly baked-in. So when I say "MB should be fired if we miss the playoffs," what I really mean is that an organization committed to excellence would fire him and do a rigorous and intelligent search for a top-end replacement. Maybe I'm giving the Habs too much credit in assuming these conditions hold in their case. 2. One of the basic differences separating me from Commandant is that I tend to take MB's work as an ongoing whole, where he accepts a categorical break in 2018 between Hapless Bergevin and Competent Bergevin. If you think in terms of continuity - four missed playoffs in five years, a team that has flat-lined two years in a row below the playoff bar, etc. - then you are probably comfortable saying MB should be canned. If you think in terms of 2018 as Year Zero, then firing him is surely premature. That's fair. 3. In terms of being "skeptical about prospect depth," let me clarify. I accept (because I have no way of knowing differently) the widespread expert view that the Habs have good prospects. What I am skeptical about is that this translates into Cup contention within Weber's window - or at all, really. Many people talk as though it is just axiomatic that we will contend when these prospects mature. In fact, it is anything but axiomatic. So what do I want? It's really very simple. I want the GM to improve this team enough that it makes the playoffs this season. Then I want the GM to build on that modest success going forward. These are hardly ridiculous asks IMHO. And yet when I complained in the summer that MB had done jacksh*t to improve the club, I was told to be patient, that the season hadn't begun yet. With the season is well begun, I'm now being told it didn't matter all along that he didn't improve the club, either because this season is irrelevant to the mythical Three Year Vanishing Point, or because we should just sing Zip-A-De-Doo-Dah all the time regardless of what the Habs do. No. As it stands right now, the team is no better than last year's: that's a FAIL. And as with many other failures, it's on Bergevin. Now hey, if the team rights the ship, charges strong in the new year and makes the playoffs, then God bless. But if current trends continue, then MB should go, subject to proviso (1) above.

Scott is right... Lehkonen, even if he scores 10 goals a year, will always have an NHL place in someone's lineup for everything else he does. If Hudon isn't scoring, he doesn't bring anything of value.

Lehkonen at least is good defensively and plays the body and every once and a while finds the back of the net. Which makes him useful. Career AHLer.