MONTREAL — I suppose there isn’t much that is reassuring about hearing your general manager lump your team in with a host of others who have, as he puts it, “several holes to fill.”
But you can’t say it’s not exciting.
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has already set about the course of altering the group that lost in six games to the New York Rangers in the first round of this past season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he acknowledged on Wednesday that he enters the NHL’s draft weekend with a mandate that, by all accounts, extends well beyond just selecting six new members of the organization.
“I need help everywhere,” Bergevin told reporters gathered in a designated room at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. Though he didn’t delve into the details on how he intends to acquire that help, he did say his phone line is open and active.
That should come as no surprise when you consider what he’s done over the last week.
It was six days ago that Bergevin pulled off a shocker, trading a tantalizing defensive prospect in Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a sure-bet forward in Jonathan Drouin. It was just 48 hours later that he moved 2011 first-rounder Nathan Beaulieu—who served as a member of the team’s defence for parts of five seasons—to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for the 68th-overall pick in this year’s draft. On Tuesday, his Canadiens lost defenceman Alexei Emelin to the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft and on Wednesday they acquired defenceman David Schlemko from Vegas in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2019.
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In case you weren’t counting, that’s three defencemen out and one in, creating an obvious need for Bergevin to address—perhaps as early as this weekend. That’s one of the reasons speculation is rampant pending restricted free agent Alex Galchenyuk could be used as trade bait.
“I won’t talk about trades; not about [Galchenyuk] or anyone,” said Bergevin.
The comment fell drastically short of an attempt to pour cold water on rumours he’s actively shopping the 23-year-old who’s already managed a 30-goal season in the NHL since the Canadiens drafted him third overall in 2012. And several reports indicate Bergevin could try to fill a hole at centre—in addition to the one on defence—by moving him as part of a bigger package.
There are other orders of business for Bergevin to attend to immediately. Forward Alexander Radulov and defenceman Andrei Markov represent two core assets who have yet to sign new contracts and are only days away from becoming unrestricted free agents.
The net effect of losing Beaulieu and Emelin and acquiring Schlemko—and allowing impending free agents Dwight King, Brian Flynn and Nikita Nesterov to pursue their futures outside of Montreal—clears some much-needed cap space to potentially sign new deals with Radulov and Markov. Bergevin expressed his interest in getting both deals done soon, but he also cautioned that they must be done on his terms.
“We have our limits with all players,” he said. “After that there’s nothing we can do.”
Bergevin had said last week that his negotiation with Radulov—who scored 54 points in his first season back from a four-year stint in the KHL—would come down to term.
“We’ve talked, but nothing new to report,” Bergevin updated on Wednesday. He added that if both parties couldn’t reach an agreement, he’d entertain the possibility of trading Radulov’s rights.
Circling back to Markov, there’s no question Bergevin’s negotiation with the 38-year-old, who said at season’s end that he’d like to play the rest of his days in Montreal, will also come down to term.
A one-year offer for Markov—who’s been a member of the Canadiens since he was drafted by them in 1998—seems likely. Anything more than a two-year request from Markov seems like a non-starter.
“We don’t know what the salary cap will be after next year,” Bergevin said about the negotiation with Markov before reminding that he’s got a much bigger negotiation to consider as of July 1—when superstar goaltender Carey Price becomes eligible to sign a long-term extension with the team.
He’s optimistic on that front, and he’s certainly realistic about all the work that lies ahead to make the Canadiens as competitive as their fans would like for them to be for next season.
“It’s not that easy,” Bergevin said.
But there’s a great sense of anticipation around Montreal regarding what he might get accomplished over the coming days.
