REV-G

I'm reading and hearing more that because our greatest need is a top centre and that because none are available in the draft that will bring us immediate help, we should trade our 3d pick, and maybe add to it if necessary, to get our greatly needed top line your centre. For interest sake, who could we target, who would be some really good options for us that we could possible get with our 3d pick, plus?

Don't beat around the bush....say what you mean!! Joking!! Ok, putting him aside then. What do you think of the young centre. Are they out to lunch thinking he might have that much potential?

Question. I've said before that I don't follow the pre-pro guys, other than maybe the ones who may go in the top 3 in the draft. So my question is connected to a column by Jack Todd [no comments please] today in the Montreal Gazette, where he quotes a former NHL amateur scout, Grant McCagg, also a friend of Bob McKenzie [I added these credentials [?] just to suggest that he may be a credible source] and McCagg says that he and other NHL scouts are high on a very talented 17 year old Finnish centre, Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Grant McCagg suggests that he thinks the Habs could pull a Carey Price type draft day surprise and pick this young centre, even though he has never been mentioned in the top 3. Todd quotes McCagg who says that in the 2012 draft the best pick ended up being centre Filip Forsberg who was taken 11th overall by Washington and later traded to Nashville, who with that trade settled their first-line centre problem for a decade. So is it possible that they're right about Jesperi Kotkaniemi? For those of you who follow these guys closely, what do you think? Is the third pick an obvious, can't do anything else, or could this be a Carey Price type pick? What do you think? Possible or not a chance?

I wasn't sure where to put this question so I'm asking it here. I read an article in the french paper and they are saying that a number of teams are interested in signing Alexandre Alain, the captain of the l’Armada de Blainville-Boisbriand. I presume he was undrafted?? According to the article he may be a late bloomer who has a great work ethic and could develop into a good NHL'er. The thinking is that he would be a very good AHL player with a definite shot at the NHL if he keeps developing. Any thoughts on him. Should we or are we interested in signing him?? Evidently he scored 44 goals and had 87 points this year. What are your thoughts for those who follow the junior ranks?

So the next obvious question is who replaces him? It seems like MB has a great opportunity now to put in place an heir apparent for the head coach of the Canadiens. If finding a very good bilingual head coach is such a challenge the smart thing to do would be to hire the best possible, most successful QMJHL coach and install him as our AHL coach, and let him bring in some great assistants also with future potential, and hopefully have people developing and waiting in the wings for whenever the next opportunity arrives for the big club. You would think this should be an obvious direction to go??

If we don't get Tavares, and it appears there are not any highly rated, help us now, centres in the upcoming draft, would we get a decent to good #1 centre for Max Pacioretty? Would it have to be Max plus...... Does anyone know who would be some #1 centre possibilities that we might get in return for Max?

I wasn't sure where to put this, so this seemed the most appropriate place. What do you think about Jake Evans? MB said he wanted to sign him last year and expects to sign him in the next week or so. How strong a centre prospect is he. Where do you think he will slot in in the NHL?

Pat Hickey in the Gazette today said that only Dahlin is NHL ready, so if we don't win the lottery there's no help coming in the draft. Is that an accurate assessment? Are the consensus picks #2, 3 and 4 not NHL ready? I don't follow the potential draft picks very closely so I'm deferring to those of you who do.

Question. I read today that TVA Sports is saying that they have some evidence that there are plans for Paul Stastny to join Montreal in the off season. The article also said that TSN broadcaster Gord Miller stated the Montreal would be a very possible destination for Tavares this summer. Evidently Miller has been told that Tavares friendship with Price and Weber, an original six team and the tradition and atmosphere of Montreal are all very appealing to Tavares. Plus on the practical side, Montreal would have the cap room to do it while a number of other potential teams would have to move some major assets to make a Tavares addition possible. Interesting to say the least. But that isn't my question. I don't really follow players not in Montreal very closely so other than his stats I don't know much about Paul Stastny other than he's 32, has maybe underperformed the last few years and has told someone in the media something that would cause them to tweet a prediction that Stastny is coming to Montreal. That's in the TVA Sports article today. Would Statsny be a good second line centre for us for two years while some of our drafted centres [I'm assuming that along with Ryan Poehling we'll draft one or two good centres in the 2018 draft] develop and get ready for the NHL. Would Statsny be a good fit for us compared to what we have now?

I like that plan and I agree about the possibility of trading both Max and Weber. I would trade Web in a heartbeat for a solid top 2 younger defence man, to a team who needs veteran leadership now and is willing to give up a young guy to get it.

While waiting for the final games to wind down, I'm actually hoping we lose every one of our final games, obviously so we can get the best possible draft pick. There's really nothing else to look forward to at this point. So I had this thought. Is there anything Marc Bergevin could do to win us back...to fix his reputation.....is there a path going forward for us that leads to success.....even contending? In fact I wondered if there has ever been a GM who did so poorly over a 5 year term, and saw his team drop so dramatically, and was able to turn things around? I'm not referring to a GM who inherited a mess and built it up, but someone like MB who has made bad moves and trades and then was able to revive that same team? I think there is a path going forward that could change our future dramatically. But let me first say that I understand what I'm pointing out is a bit like catching lightening in a bottle. The odds of everything coming together according to the path I'm suggesting is way out there. But it's possible. Kind of like Edmonton getting the first pick for so many years. So here it is. Remember, this is possible, however unlikely, but there is a path that could lead to a huge turnaround for us. Here it is. What if we lose most of our final games and then win the draft lottery and improve to the top 3 and get a very good player who will play for us next year. Certainly possible. What if we add Joel Bouchard, as is being reported, and also added Dominique Ducharme, or someone like him to bring in fresh leadership and begin a new culture. One of them as our AHL coach and the other to replace JJD or even as GM with MB being moved up to another position. Certainly possible. What if we sign John Tavares? Ok, here's catching the lightening in a bottle. What if we kept Max P and united him with Tavares and Drouin? What if we signed or traded for a top 4 left handed Dman? What if, combined with our draft last year, we pick up a few very good prospects in the draft this year? What if the terrible season we had this year lights a fire under Molson and Bergevin, like a slap upside the head, and they realize that the fans, media and players are all looking at them to fix this mess whatever it takes. We're certainly there on that one! Maybe there's more but if these changes or something close to them could happen I believe we would see a huge turnaround. Honestly, I think all of it is very possible. The only real big question mark is of course Tavares. But the islanders have had a very bad season. And even the media has openly talked about the possibility of him having friends on our team and maybe him liking the idea of coming in and being part of a resurrection, along with a big payday, back in Canada. I heard Darren Dreger say a month ago that while Tavares has never said anything to him, he has the feeling that Tavares would be open to coming to Montreal. Has he heard something. Now this next thought is purely speculation. We have all been very surprised, along with the Montreal media from what I've read, that Molson has not fired MB based on his record and the state of our team. Is it possible that MB has told Molson that he has inside news that Tavares is seriously considering signing with us. Why is Bergevin so confident about being here? Does he know something big is going to happen? Tavares?? Speculation....but is it possible. It is. So there is a path. It could happen. I wouldn't bet on it but there is a path going forward. could MB turn it around and win us back?? What do you think? Since there's not a lot else to talk about I thought this could give us something interesting to ponder!!

How do you rank Barrett Hayton, a centre?

Actually that's a good point. There probably will be guys like Niemi out there. I'm still impressed with him though. I presume Waite's input to MB about Lindgren and what he feels Lindgren is capable of will be a key determining factor.

If we have confidence in some of our goalies, I'm not really thinking Fucale here, developing in our system then I think, based on what Commandant said, I would seriously consider our best interests over the next year or two and sign Niemi for two years and trade Lindgren. Unless of course they feel that Lindgren is developing into at least a solid backup. I think Niemi might want to stay with us since Waite is here to work with him and keep him on track.

Choosing which players to keep and which ones to send down or trade is sometimes obvious and other times not so much. I haven't been watching their games for a while now but I still read about them and follow. I'm actually hoping they lose all their remaining games to try to be in the top 3 for the draft and the lottery. One observation I've made is that there have been a number of reporters who made the comment that the team enjoys and is confident playing in front of Niemi. When I've watched a game he seems confident and seems to be challenging shooters and makes the big saves. If I was the decision maker I would seriously consider keeping him as my backup next year for the following reasons. 1. He has performed better than Lindgren in front of basically the same team over the past few months. 2. At this point we are not totally sure how Carey Price will do injury wise next year. I think we had the same feelings about Markov when he injured his knee for the second time a few years back but he came back strong and healthy and played at a high level again. We all want that for Price but we all know there's no guarantee. If Price is injured again next year who would we want as our back up? Niemi or Lindgren? 3. Reuniting Niemi with his former goalie coach, Stephane Waite may be one of the reasons for his great return to form with Montreal which means he may play this way for all of next year again if the two stay together. 4. We must make sure that we are better at every position next year. If we add a #1 centre [John Tavares??] and if our top draft pick this June is high enough so that he makes the team next year, we have to make sure we have a very solid, reliable backup to help Price and win some games but also be able to step in if injuries hit. I think Niemi is best equipped right now to do that for us. 5. I had higher hopes for Charlie Lindgren. I know some goalies take longer to develop but I'm beginning to wonder if he will develop into a #1 goalie. At this point I'm not sure I want to put too much faith in him to be able to step in and do the job if Price goes down. 6. Why release a goalie [Niemi] for nothing when he either could help us or if we kept him around until next fall, then trade him and get something for him when some team likely will be in need of a solid backup. To me it's just smart asset management. If Lindgren steps up and does well, then we will have something that some other teams need and we'll get something in return. For me it's a win win situation to keep Niemi and let things fall where they will. Releasing him and letting him walk for nothing accomplishes nothing. What do you think?

It will be interesting to see if they move a few more pieces that perhaps wouldn't cause much of a stir but maybe just enough to increase our chances of dropping a bit more for the draft. Probably not, but I can't help wonder....but that could only be a thought if a few more pieces are moved for draft picks.

I personally thought Sakic was ridiculous for holding out and asking so much for Duschene. Look who had the last laugh. Sakic got a boatload in return and by far was the winner and his team is looking a lot better now than before! I'm glad MB is asking a lot. He should. Big, fast, skilled perennial 30 goal scorers should command a really good return.

I started out saying that Eklund is not a reliable source at all, but for argument sake, while we're waiting, I personally think now is the time to trade him if we can. The older he gets the slower he'll be. I don't think the injury will affect his trade value....people know what he brings. If we could get a really good D prospect, a 1st next year and one other good piece, personally I'd do it. Plus we free up a ton of cap space. For me it's time to move some older guys if we could get a pretty good return.

I rarely read him anymore because I realized that very little of what he says happens, but for interest sake while we're waiting for something significant to happen....Eklund says that Shea Weber's name is being talked about and there are a number of teams interested. If Bergevin has his eyes and ears open he knows his dream job is on the line...as well as his buddies, so would he trade Weber?? For interest sake, if he did, what sort of return could we expect...with his contract?

I can see that you put a lot of thought and work into this article. Very well done. I agree with most of what you said. It's probably nitpicking over words used, but I think the centre we must get back has to be not just a top 6, for me that infers a 2nd line centre would be acceptable. For Max P. the return has to include a first line centre or someone who has the definite potential, with experience, to get there. Maybe that's what you meant by top 6, giving the person a little time to evolve into a first liner. My other question would be, is it better to leave some of the young guys like Nikita S. and Noah J. on the farm playing lots of minutes instead of bringing them into what has to now be a very demoralizing, losing atmosphere, or would it be worthwhile to give them NHL experience understanding that any mistakes they make are not going to affect the final outcome very much anyway. However, Laval isn't overachieving either, so maybe bringing them up would be beneficial.

On the opening page of HW Francois Gagnon wrote a very good article for RDS, Le Canadien a besoin d’un président – rds.ca, and he calls for Geoff Molson to step aside and put in a solid hockey man as President, and especially before any decision is made regarding our GM. I think he makes many great points and he ends with saying that this move is urgent....it needs to happen right now. Use google translate because it's in french, but it's a very good article. I'm very encouraged to read that a very well respected Montreal journalist, who knows hockey very well, would be brave enough to come out with an article calling for this much needed change. Hats off to you Francois! When it comes to understanding what our team needs right now there is no language barrier. We are all on the same page!!

I get so frustrated for a number of reasons when I read a report/article chronicling the moves MB has made. Commandment your article is titled well. Marc Bergevin's Mess!! It's frustrating to see what he has managed to do to our team over the past 5 years! It's frustrating to see the results.....the on-ice product which sits near the bottom of the league in most categories which means the vast majority of the other GM's have been doing a much better job than our GM. It's frustrating to know that some of our players seem to have given up because they know they have pretty much zero chance of making the playoffs and morale and team spirit has to be pretty low. It's frustrating, in hindsight I admit that neither I nor probably most us anticipated this, that Geoff Molson and Serge Savard brought in an unproven GM, who had never run a team at any level before, to be the man in charge of what was the league's most storied franchise. Why didn't we see that coming? It's frustrating when you look at what the management of the Montreal Canadiens have done and the people they have put in place over the past 23 years. Over the past 23 years the GM's running our "most storied franchise" have been Rejean Houle, Andre Savard, Bob Gainey, Pierre Gauthier and now Marc Bergevin. Not one of those people have turned out to be very good or outstanding GM's, or today have a reputation or legacy that they were one of the best in the league. Why haven't we had leadership that went out and got the best person in hockey to run our team. Where is the "Sam Pollock" we desperately need? It's frustrating when you look at the list of our non-hockey presidents who have run our team since 1978, now 30 years running. Morgan McCammon, Ronald Correy, Pierre Boivin, Geoff Molson. Not one solid hockey man who today is remembered as a great leader or builder. It's frustrating that Geoff Molson has sat back and let this continue, missing the playoffs two years out of three. If this was in the private corporate world, with those results and decline, Geoff Molson would have made a change already and his own position would be in jeopardy. Is there any group or board who can pressure him to do something? So what can we do? What needs to happen to get Molson to put an end to this and let someone immensely more qualified to take over and begin putting in place a solid plan for the future to give the team and it's fans "a hope and a future"? Who's the best qualified to clean up "The Mess" and when will they be put in place?? At present, for all fans, it's very frustrating!

It seems that looking down the road at potential players like Hughes coming up in the draft and then going out getting someone else's first round pick a year or two ahead of time was how a very shrewd Sam Pollock ended up picking none other than Guy Lafleur and we all know how that turned out!

This may have been brought up and discussed before, if it was I missed it. If we trade Max P. what would we expect to get back from him? In listening to some reports of what other GM's said is that they thought Sakic received way too much for Duschene and very few would have been willing to pay that much. The sense I got was that they were saying that those kind of returns probably would not be repeated. I think Colorado received 7 pieces?? In hindsight, based on a small sample size on the results Duschene has put up, I think they're right. But it's still early and Ottawa is having a terrible year, so maybe it's too early to really know. So based on that, I would expect that we would get a top rated prospect, who must be a potential #1 centre, a first round pick and a #2 or #3 defence man for Max?? Or a #1 center [would we get a Pierre Luc Dubois?], a first round pick and a 2nd or 3d defenceman. Is this reasonable, can we expect something like this for Max? What do you think?