Commandant

I was on the fire Bergevin train before this off-season began. I was on it after his complete failure at the trade deadline. This hasn't changed. As for this offseason, he's made this team a small bit better than it was last season. That means he's not in the top 3 worst off-seasons in the NHL, which is what I sadi. That still doesn't mean that what he's done is good enough, as he still hasn't addressed the core issue.

The blame does rest on bergevin. He has the power to hire and fire scouts, coaches, etc.... he is the boss. He gets credit and blame.

Some GMs have been fired. If the team is showing improvement, thats one thing. But this team isn't. As Lovett says, we are stuck in neutral until we fix the centre issue. If a GM has a team that is stagnant for multiple years, then yes, they should be fired.

What results? We don't hang division banners in the Bell Centre. His job is to continue to improve that team.... he's not improving it, if he's neglecting to fix the biggest weakness at one of the most important positions in the sport.

In six off-seasons you either have the ability to get the job done, or you don't. If after six off-seasons, he hasn't got the job done (while many of his colleagues are getting it done) all i hear from you is excuses. This isn't the try league, this is the get it done league. Again 1) Doesn't draft many centres in the top 2 rounds with offensive potential... just 1 in his first five drafts... 2 this year. 2) Has been content to re-sign what he has to big money deals. 3) Doesn't make an offer to a potential top six centre from russia. Said centre signs for 2 years, 4.5 million per 4) Doesn't make an offer on Eric Staal. Staal goes on to produce like a top 6 centre in Minnesota and is on a cheap 3 year deal. 5) Doesn't get involved in one of the many trades for a top 6, while his fellow GMs are willing to pull the trigger. This is what we have seen happen over six years. Meanwhile our centre situation gets worse with each passing year. So what do you call that? What do you say if someone can do a job for 6 off-seasons, and not solve the biggest problem he is tasked with solving. All while his colleagues are solving that same problem in a variety of ways. Of course you'll come up with yet another excuse, yet another deflection. At what point does the GM get blamed? He inherited a team with a great goalie. With 2 great defencemen in Markov and Subban, with a great goal scorer in Pacioretty, with a number of solid pieces. And all he had to do was finish the job by getting a number 1 centre for this group, and he can't do it.

I'm not getting paid 3 million a year to find solutions. I'm also not privy to all the discussions with other GMs, agents, scouts, and other people who have the ability to make the deals. Expecting me to come up with a solution is silly. Expecting the man who is privy to those discussions, who is paid well to do that job, who has full control of the hockey operations, is not unreasonable. Add on the fact that we can watch other GMs acquire number 1 centres, and yes some blame is warranted after 6 off-seasons. I feel like I'm in bizzarro world, all i see is excuses for why the most important hole on this team is still not filled.

Here is the key though 4 out of 5 years he went into the season with Centre Depth of Desharnais, Plekanec, Eller. And not only that, but it was a group he felt strongly about that in contract negotiations he overpaid every single one of those three guys. He gave Desharnias 4y x 3.5 million, Plekanec 2y x 6 million, and Eller 4y x 3.5 million. For someone who saw this as an issue that needed addressing, he sure locked up what he had long term at a lot of money.

Bergevin is the boss. He hires the NHL coach, He hires the AHL coach. He has decided to keep Timmins and even given him two promotions. He is responsible at the end of the day for what the people under him do. If my assistant messes up paperwork for a client, you know who takes the blame? I do. Cause I'm the boss and the buck stops with me. The same with Bergevin. He gets credit for the moves that work, he gets blame when they don't. Thats the bottom line when you are given the role at the head tof the hockey operations dept. As for the list of centres, almost all of them would be number 1 on our team. I'm pretty sure I'd take any of them as the number 1 over Danault. Oh and we did have the equivalent of a Seth Jones, we had an even better defenceman than Seth Jones. We traded him for an older defenceman. Again, after 6 off-seasons.... lets live by the words from when he took over the team NO EXCUSES.

His job is to find a solution, he's had 6 off-seasons and drafts to do it. 1.) In four of his 5 seasons at the helm, we entered the year with our centre depth being Desharnais, Plekanec, Eller. No change, just kept rolling out those three for 4 straight years. In the fifth year we started with Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Desharnais, and finished with Danault, Plekenac, Shaw. 2.) We were supposed to build through the draft. Top 6 centres come overwhelmingly from the top two rounds. In the top 2 rounds, he's drafted.... Alex Galchenyuk, and then allowed his coaches to use him on the wing constantly and not develop him as a center. Michael McCarron who was a RW both seasons with the US NTDP, was a RW to start his first year in London, and who then Dale Hunter moved to Centre. Even then he never had the offensive potential to be a top 6 guy, something i said from day one of him being drafted. Jacob de la Rose is another player who was best suited as a third/fourth line centre. Ryan Poehling and Joni Ikonen were drafted this year, so maybe one of those is a top 6 centre. To recap... a guy who was supposed to build through the draft, drafted 1 offensive centre, and 1 defensive centre, and 1 guy who converted from wing to centre in the top 2 rounds of his first five drafts. 1 Legit Offense producing prospect at centre. 3.) Traded in those years.... Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Brayden Schenn, Martin Hanzal, Ryan Johansen, Mika Zibanejad, Artem Anisimov, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Eric Staal, Ryan O'Reilly, Ryan Kesler. Other guys are moving by free agency. Movement happens. 4.) Didn't even make an offer to Vadim Shipachyov. The guys agent called the Habs to see if they were interested, we didn't make an offer. I'm tired of excuses as to why in 6 years he can't get it done. Other GMs get centres. There is no reason why Montreal can't.

They have a top four of Methot - Klingberg Hamhuis - Lindell With players like Honka and Heiskanen who will be breaking in soon. Its not the best, but its really not that bad, especially with Bishop in net instead of what they had last year and a very strong forward group that added both Radulov and Martin Hanzal.

The goal is to win the cup. If you have one key thing keeping you from contending for the cup, aka a first line centre, and everyone in the world knows it... after 6 off-seasons the GM has to solve the problem. Oh and there is plenty of cap space to get it done.

Team was horrible cause they got the worst goaltending in the league last year. how do I know Bishop was a good signing? By watching him for the last 4 years of his career. He's been darn good for Tampa. He's going to be good for Dallas. they are a much improved club, and their GM has been proactive in addressing their issues. My question again... what has Bergevin done to get a Centre? to address his team's biggest issue? This isn't the try league. This is the get it done league.

Why does 9 years matter? He hasn't been GM all that time. He was hired one year after Bergevin. He's been in charge for 4 seasons, 5 offseasons..... Bergevin has 5 seasons, 6 off-seasons..... He's made the playoffs 2 of those 4 seasons. Don't know why Nill gets any blame for 5 straight years out of the playoffs before he was hired. Why even mention 7 out of 9 years? Its intellectually dishonest and is merely spin to try and support Bergevin by making Nill look worse (by giving him blame for those 5 years he wasn't part of the team, and was in Detroit?) But what does that 5 straight years missing the playoffs show? He took over a worse team than Bergevin got in a club that in the previous 5 years had gone to the final four, had lost in game 7 OT to a cup champ, and had made the playoffs in 4 of the 5 years. Right now, on paper... I'd take the Dallas Stars over the Montreal Canadiens. Everything on their team, and everything in their system, he's built a better team than we have right now. Starting from a worse position, and making good moves to get a Seguin, Bishop, Spezza, Methot, Hamhuis, etc.... Dallas will contend next year. In 5 offseasons, Nill has acquired 3 centres who would be top 6 players in montreal.... 2 of them would be our #1 centre right now if on the team. He also fixed his goaltending with a two-time Vezina nominee He added Hamhuis, Methot, Heiskanen, and Julius Honka to his defence in a nice mix of picking up youth and solid vets.

Would i take 60 point duchene on the Habs? of course. Do I want to pay the price Sakic is asking for? Hell no. He's asking for a Tavares level package for Matt Duchene. Thats the issue and that is why many people are saying he's overrated.

Acquired Ben Bishop, see this is what a GM does when he recognizes the problem on his team.... he goes and gets a solution. Acquired Marc Methot Drafted Miro Heiskanen Meanwhile Esa Lindell had a good rookie season, and Julius Honka is ready to break into the league. His defense is rapidly improving.

He wins faceoffs, but he keeps getting shunted to the wing by his coaches.... Colorado, Team Canada, Even the World Championship team (where he was a 4th line winger). His defensive game as a centre is just awful.

Why is an expansion team giving up a 22 year old defenceman? He doesn't seem to be available. Sure Vegas is willing to trade older players, but they are trading older players for youth. They aren't going to move a kid who is ready to play in the top 4 right now, it makes no sense.

Dallas is going to have a very good team next year. Nill has gotten them two #1 centres in trades in the last 5 years. He had a major problem in goal, and he's now solved that with Ben Bishop. Oh and he's slowly building that blue line. Seems to me he's taken his team quite a ways.

Realistically there are only a few teams that can win a cup in any given year, not 31. Guess what, Vegas, not winning the 2018 cup... Vancouver, not winning the 2018 cup, Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Buffalo, etc... not winning the cup. Realistically there are what, 6 or so "true contenders" who can win a cup. The Habs have been in that tier just below the true contenders for a while now. What have they needed to take the next step? A true number 1 centre. What has our GM done to get one? Well he's tried, he tells us he's trying. He doesn't get it done, but he's trying guys.

Then your reading comprehension is a fail, cause i responded to your post saying that he was trying to get a centre. You also take my quote out of context. Here is the full quote, and if you read the whole thing, you don't need to be a mind reader to read this and see what it means. "I don't care how hard he's tried to get a centre, the fact is that his job is to fix this team's problems and make it a contender. This is his sixth off-season in charge, we needs to stop with trying being good enough. Get it done, or let someone else take the reins who can get it done." Its clearly about the centre issue. But you twist it to be about something else cause you have no response to the fact he hasn't been able to get that centre. Again 6 off-seasons.... in 6 off-seasons, he needs to stop trying to get a centre and get a centre.

for cheap ok. but hes a rhd, where LHD is the greater need. Though the move would flip benn to the left.

He's got 9 million in cap space that he hasn't used. He has 22 men on his 23 man roster filled. Seems to me he's leaving a lot of money, and 1 roster spot open. He's left himself the room for Markov to come back or the room to replace him if he doesn't. I see the cards held close to the chest, leaving him options both ways... not a guy who has played his hand yet. Thats just me though.

I never said he was trying to be "good enough". Once again, you either deliberately changed my words to something you could argue against, or you misinterpreted them. Is Bergevin trying to build a cup winner? sure. But the big issue is that he hasn't solved this team's centre issue. How many teams have won a cup without a quality centre? You suggested he is trying to fix the centre issue, but hasn't been able to. What I'm saying is trying to find a centre isn't good enough after 6 years. Thats not an excuse anymore. I'm sorry after 6 years Trying to Fix the Teams #1 Problem isn't enough. Either get the job done, or give way to someone who might be able . After six years, I'm trying, isn't a good enough excuse for why this team has the same problem its had all this time.

Drouin... the ceiling is much higher, he's younger, and he's signed for 5.5 million for 6 years, Duchene is 6million for 2 years. Not really close in my mind.

Emelin 4.1 (out) Alzner 4.5 in. Markov 5.75 last year... Markov's new deal? Beaulieu out 1.275 out.... Schlemko in 2.1 Jerabek in, Nesterov out... money is a wash (925 on both) Meh, its a small bit more expensive than last year, but not significantly. Anywhere from 1 million to 2 million more depending where Markov comes in. That said. Alzner vs Emelin Schlemko vs Beaulieu Jerabek vs Nesterov The talent is increased significantly over last year (if Markov returns)