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These are the fruits of the participation generation; even middling results in something as explicitly objective as sports are supposed to be measured against excuses like "the goal is to make the playoffs," and "centers are not available." What people forget is that in areas where MB hasn't been gifted players or met adversity he's failed. He taneed 2015-2016 when all he needed was a competent backup goalie to stay in the race. I think with their start they needed .500 hockey to stay in first place. Not sure...but his answer was Ben Scrivens for Zack Kassian in a move that was quick, dirty, and ineffective. He inherited a center corp that was pretty good, I would give it a B-, with DD, Plekanec, Eller and Galchenyuk waiting in the wings. Now we have Danault, Plekanec--who might get 20 points next year for all we know--, Torrey Mitchell, and questood marks. Bergevin again fails to upgrade the center depth. His draft and development record speaks for itself, and he's been less than proactive in fixing the deficiencies. We're in the same holding pattern as we were with Therrien. There's no vision, no real future, and the team is going to be like watching paint dry. But yeah, Shea Weber was 6th in Norris voting and we've really beaten up on OTT/TOR/BOS over the years.

All things being equal, each team has a 3.33% chance at winning the Cup. We can say well we are the Montreal Canadiens and therefore deserve it more, but the fact is that the math doesn't change. In a salary cap world there aren't the same advantages that existed before. So 96.7% of the time each season a bunch of people on this forum are going to sharpen their pitchforks and declare everyone incompetent

I will be quite upset if Markov isn't resigned. He has been very underrated throughout his career and has often been the best player for this team. I also love seeing a player get drafted and retire with the same team.

Much as I'd like to be able to offload my Habitual existential angst in a postmodern matriarchal reflexive defense of inclusiveness by attacking l'etranger... read GM...I think MB has probably done about as well as he can and so I am forced to return yet again to that one sure hope of my fragile sensibilities in that final Pure Act of Aquinas and Aristotle and pray we have a fun year. Roughly.

Wow, that almost seems like satire it's so over the top habs hahah. Really hope to see him back for a year, or two at a little cheaper. I know his agent is obviously going to pump his tires, but he said Markov is a workhorse who wants to play for 3-5 more years. Ans honestly, it's the cerebral side of Markov's game that's keeping him going. Like a Nik Lidstrom lite, I could see it happening.

Its not fine, I'd rather go deeper than the 1st round obviously, but I can also be realistic enough to see, based on the examples I showed, that it could just be part of growing pains, growing pains that leave no one unscathed. Growing into a contender who can win championships is often a painful process, but a process it is. I will not succumb to panic after a 1st round exit, much like it would have been foolish for the fanbases of the teams I did present in my previous post to have done. Only to see in the end their team turned a corner under the right set of circumstances, and won a cup. Call it what you may, but I call it patient optimism for a better result in the future, not some foolish acceptance that we will never win anything but thats ok cause at least we make the playoffs. I assure you my attitude about all this was very different before we had an elite goalie to bank on, And as long as he is in his Prime, I will remain hopeful.

My claim is simply that this team has not been good enough and, in all probability, still is not good enough. To you, not good enough is fine. To me, it's not. Therein lies the disagreement. And no, just making the Finals is not the goal, but it's a whole crapload better than the garbage playoff results that you keep celebrating as super awesome feats of general managerial genius. Not one single time have I ever slagged Weber. What I slag is the mentality that uses the canard of 'leadership' as an all-purpose justification for a trade that shortened our Cup window for what was at the very best a lateral move. When I crack wise about 'Dear Leader,' it's a shot at that foolishness, not at Weber himself, who is indeed a very good hockey player.

Gotta get those jabs in on Weber every time, even though he had a real good season, finished 6th in Norris Voting. Damn us all for even having such a player in our Ranks. Our elimination rests solely at his feet! The heavens would have parted and started pissing Stanley Cups if only we still had our Starchild around instead of the useless old Leader. By your Logic Tampa and New York were also not good enough then, one didn't make the finals again and the other didn't even make the playoffs, are they on the decline? can we get any doomsday prophecies for them?. Perhaps they should tear it all down and start over? Or are they simply competitive teams still trying to take the next step? having the typical ups and downs while trying to get there? Decisions, Decisions.. You realize Pittsburgh was having a rollercoaster ride of disappointing playoffs exits year after year before suddenly pinging off back to back cups? You think every team that starts winning cups goes to a few cup finals first? Is that your make believe benchmark? Let me put things in very stark contrast for you. Chicago preceded one of their cups with 2 straight 1st round exits, L.A Kings preceded their first cup with back to back 1st round exits. In Pittsburgh a 2nd round exit and a 1st round exit preceded their back to back cup wins. Do you see how little more than a trophy wife going to a cup final is? Do you see yet that it is indeed true, all you have to do is get into the playoffs with the right tools, and anything can happen. We have a world class Goalie, who is capable of getting hot at the right time, Just ask Nashville what that feels like, and ask yourself if they still make a cup final with a Pekka Rinne boasting anything less than a .920SV%. So yes IllWill is right, the narrative could have been very different if Price kept going with his SV%, and we found a way to bury 1 or 2 extra goals, and all we had to do was get in. Whether you make it 1 round or 3 rounds, it doesn't matter ultimately you all end up in the same spot, "Better luck Next year". and in the case of every cup winner I mentioned, that is exactly what happened to them, following an early exit much like our own. That is how much stock you can put into your "Cup Final or Bust" theory, nothing more than a make believe measuring stick used to beat the dead horse you've been beating for months

Yeah...Round One was a 'close' series (6 games, hmmm)...if we'd won maybe we could have beaten Ottawa...then maybe beat whomever we play in the Conference Finals...then maybe beat Nashville for the Cup. So, really, it's almost like we really did win the Cup, right? Why, we were only 14 wins away. Let's get that banner in the rafters! In 2015, we lost to TB in Round Two. Somehow we did better with Locker Room Cancer and High Risk Defender Subban than we did with Dear Leader Weber, but never mind that now - the point is that that series looked EXACTLY like the Rags series in 2017. Close games. Supposedly a hot opposition goalie. Popgun offence that just couldn't deliver in the crunch. Lots of muttering afterwards about 'puck luck' and the series being 'close.' Fool me twice... Close only cuts it when you're shaving. This team simply wasn't good enough in 2015, it wasn't good enough last year, and there is no particular reason to believe it will be good enough in 2018 either. By contrast, our closest conference analogues (TB and NYR) have each been to the Finals as we've played Whack-A-Mole and made endless excuses for not being good enough.

"Good with that" is much different than losing to a tough team 1 point in dfference in the standings. That series could have went either way. And then we would have got Ottawa, which would have been a good battle as well that would have been slightly in our favour. Then we are possibly in the conference finals...see how different the narrative would be?

Pacioretty, Price, Shaw, Petry, Gallagher, Subban, Alzner dont count?

We all knew what the Habs #1 problem was when Bergevin took over. Lets look at how that #1 problem has been addressed. Inherited Centre Depth 2012 Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller 2013-14 Centre Depth Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller 2014-15 Centre Depth Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller 2015-16 Centre Depth Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller (start of season) Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Desharnais, (end of season) 2016-17 Centre Depth Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Desharnais (start of season) Danault, Plekanec, Shaw (Playoff Series against New York) And now? WHo the #### knows? This is the indictment of Bergevin. Fix the problem already.

And you think this is news to Bergevin and crew, or that you know something they don't? Or that they have sat back and made little attempt to ice the best team possible? What is your point?

"This is his sixth off-season in charge, we needs to stop with trying being good enough" So yes you did say exactly that. I am not a mind reader if you meant something else? But, you also know you can suggest or propose anything and has zero consequences. Unlike a Habs GM, who has a bit more pressure and reality to deal with. How many top players actually want to even play in Quebec? Bergy said he kicked tires on many players and said some were just not interested, but does that stuff ever factor in discussions here, it is "No he is just too cheap, he let player X sign with team Y instead, what an idiot, should be fired!" "He played hard-ball with Radulov and let him walk, what an idiot, should be fired!" etc etc

Golly gee, sounds so easy. A team that's just one problem from a cup winner or...best team ever perhaps, sweet!