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I hope Santa has been or will be nice to you later today, I personally made out like a bandit with new game used gloves for the Habs collection, a few new sweatshirts from a Canadiens mystery bag (such crucial attire through remote working) and the Lego version of “The Child… (what? We’re in lockdown once again, got to have stuff to entertain yourself…and besides, anyone who’s seen the Madalorian cannot resist that little guy). As for the Canadiens’ players I don’t know what they’ll find under their Christmas tree but I think Santa Bergevin already gave them some pretty good gifts…let’s recap shall we?
In his exit interview after the Habs’ elimination, Jeff Petry said the Canadiens needed to add some scoring and some size to the team. Santa Bergevin went out and got some size with Edmundson, Toffoli and Anderson, the later two should also provide some scoring. For years, Carey Price has been wishing for a quality back-up and this off-season, Bergevin went off to get him Jake Allen. Hopefully, we can ensure that Seattle doesn’t nab him in the expansion draft, even if it means giving them a couple of draft picks – if the signing works out as expected of course. Finally, just a couple of days ago, he also added Michael Frolik for depth in the line-up.
It wasn’t all about bringing new players on though, the Canadiens very own Santa also went out and distributed some very much deserved gifts to a couple of the guys who were on the nice list. Both Jeff Petry and Brendan Gallagher received contracts extensions and will therefore be part of the Habs core for at least the next 4 years. To me, those were very important moves. I’ve said it time and time again, Gallagher is the heart and soul of the Canadiens and as for Jeff Petry, he’s become their number 1B defenseman and whenever they’ve had to do without their captain, he’s stepped up admirably.
If there’s one thing still on the Canadiens’ players wish list, it should be the signing of Philip Danault to a contract extension. Suzuki and Kotkaniemi have allowed the Habs to take a big step forward at centre, but losing Danault would be a huge step backwards. A deep centre line is one of the key elements of a successful team. As the youngsters gain experience and improve, they will no doubt take up a bigger role, but that doesn’t mean the Canadiens do not need Danault anymore. Bergevin’s offseason buying spree has given this team extra quality forwards which could mean that Danault can keep his line mates and therefore not feel like he’s being pushed aside and discarded. How awkward was that team virtual Christmas party in which he talked to Byron about being his centre? Of course, extending Danault would require some more shrewd cap management, but I’m confident Bergevin can do it…step one might just be to unload Byron’s 3.4 M cap hit for 2 more years.
Our traditional team Christmas party went virtual this year... 😅#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Ei0tSRFEqe
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 15, 2020
Whether or not Bergevin can work out his magic and keep Danault around, we’re all in for 2 brilliant pressies in the coming weeks and months: a brand new NHL season in which the Habs are expected to fare much better that they have in years and, more importantly, vaccination for all and a return to normal life. That might still be some months away but until then, we’ll at least have plenty of Habs drama to keep us entertained. So hang in there Habs fans, the best is yet to come and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas wherever and however you spend it.