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NHL Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin a Great Asset For Organization

By @LissaRantSports

Marc Bergevin, Montreal Canadiens General Manager

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The Montreal Canadiens had an organizational overhaul after the 2011-12 season saw the team miss playoffs, finishing dead last in their  conference. First, general manager Pierre Gauthier was fired. When the search for a new GM was on, many names were rumored. The one that was announced came as a surprise: Marc Bergevin.

Bergevin’s career took him from player to Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach, then hired by the Canadiens in May of 2012. He has made the organization a very tightly run ship.

Bergevin’s changes included hiring a head coach. Again, rumors were rampant, but Michel Therrien was another dark horse when he signed a month later. A controversial choice, Therrien caused many to suddenly question this new GM’s wisdom. When Bergevin added to the coaching and scouting staff, including Gerard Gallant (now head coach of the Florida Panthers) and J.J. Daigneault, the barometer rose again on his wisdom. (As an aside, Therrien has garnered much approval.)

Fans don’t always follow front office changes. Staff isn’t credited, though their impact is widely felt and blatantly visible as it manifests on the ice. For example, Daigneault is highly visible. He’s someone fans see talking to players, whispering with the coach and generally there. But most people don’t know how someone like Daigneault works with players unless they follow practices. However, his influence on the team as he runs practices, confers with them between shifts and holds timeout discussions with them is right there for all to see. The team is being well coached, and as one of the assistants, Daigneault has a tremendous effect on players as they continue to develop.

Fans do follow roster changes. Bergevin made some quick changes as soon as he was installed as GM. Instantly, he signed star goalie Carey Price to a six-year contract and drafted Alex Galchenyuk, two moves that had fans firmly in the corner of this new face in the front office. He announced that struggling forward, Scott Gomez, would no longer play for the team and that his contract would be bought out. Again, this instilled confidence in Bergevin.

As he’s settled in for the past two years, including a lockout and a deep playoff run, Bergevin continues to impress. This season alone, without waiting for a proverbial slump, he relegated the unproductive Rene Bourque to the Hamilton Bulldogs (pending eventual trade to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Bryan Allen) and traded another ineffective player, Travis Moen, to the Dallas Stars for defenseman Sergei Gonchar. These changes have proven to be improvements and the team currently sits atop the NHL standings.

Trading Raphael Diaz for the dynamic Dale Weise last season has also been a huge and popular improvement. Trading Cedrick Desjardins to the Tampa Bay Lightning has been immensely beneficial. In return, the Canadiens acquired goalie Dustin Tokarski, a star of playoffs in 2013-14 and now the team’s solid backup goalie. Acquiring Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and Manny Malhotra were also popular, advantageous decisions made by this manager.

One controversial change came in June, when fan favorite Josh Gorges was rumored to be on the trading block. Criticism grew when the team got very little from the trade. Criticism hit harder when management went to arbitration in negotiating a contract with P.K. Subban even though Subban himself did not see arbitration as a slight. The resulting contract redeemed Bergevin in fans’ eyes.

What can be said, strongly and unequivocally, is that Bergevin doesn’t waste time or decisions. He has cleaned up this team, making it tighter and stronger, getting bad deals off the books and bringing aboard players who make a difference. From social media chatter to sports radio, Bergevin has garnered tremendous respect and admiration for the job he’s done with a team he came into at its lowest point in years.

He earned a nod from the NHL, coming in second place as GM of the Year in 2013-14. Bergevin’s unabashed, unfiltered celebrations as the team went further into playoffs became the stuff of viral videos, a big change from his predecessor who was practically emotionless.

Bergevin is a fan favorite now, almost as much as Price or Galchenyuk. His status is as elite as Subban’s. He epitomizes class, and the team is better for having him at the helm.

Lissa Albert is a Montreal Canadiens writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @LissaRantSports. “Like” her on Facebook and/or add her to your network on Google. 

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