“It’s on Me… - Marc Bergevin, January 21st, 2015
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin met the Montreal media on Thursday after practice and strongly defended his team and coaches. Head coach Michel Therrien has taken a lot of heat as of late as they Canadiens have been unable to snap out of their slump and whether fans like it or not, Bergevin has given him and the coaching staff a complete vote in confidence, at least until the end of the season. Everyone’s job is safe this season and perhaps with that out of the way, the weight on the shoulders of Therrien and the Canadiens will start to feel a little lighter. It was also revealed that Carey Price will be out another 3-4 weeks but this open line of communication is a welcome change in Habsland.
Bergevin is a smart man. He knows that speaking honestly and candidly to the media was the best way to deflect the pressure off his players and Therrien. He is trying to buy them time to get Canadiens back on track and put together a few wins. At the same time and in so many words, Bergevin is also telling fans to lower expectations for the season By putting the future success of the Canadiens on his shoulders and saying that it is on him, Bergevin is also acknowledging his own shortcomings, namely the inability to solidify the Canadiens top six. He still has not given Therrien all of the pieces of the puzzle that are necessary to compete and stay at the top of the standings in the NHL.
The biggest question moving forward is if the Canadiens will be buyer’s or seller’s come the February 29th trade deadline. The Canadiens are only 7 points out of 1st in the Atlantic and also 8 points from dropping to last. As we have already seen this season, absolutely anything and everything can happen. It is doubtful that the Canadiens will be buyers unless they find a fit with a player that they can keep long-term. I cannot see the Canadiens going after a rental such as an Eric Staal (if the Hurricanes are sellers that is). I also cannot see Bergevin selling off components of the team unless it is to make a splash. The likely players that Bergevin may be willing to part with are upcoming UFA’s Tom Gilbert and Dale Weise.
The Canadiens next play Saturday night against the Leafs and then a home and away series with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday and Tuesday. These are games that the Canadiens need to win and any poor efforts throughout these matches would simply be unacceptable. Toronto will compete hard, especially while hosting their division rivals. Columbus has just lost Sergei Bobrovsky to injury. If the Canadiens do not collect 4 of 6 points through this next 3 game stretch, the disappointment in this team will only grow amongst fans.
Andrei Markov took a therapy day on Thursday and Jacob de la Rose missed practice with the flu. Paul Byron appears to be out with an injury as Daniel Carr was recalled from the St. John’s Ice Caps. Hopefully Carr gets a real shot back in the Canadiens lineup. Nathan Beaulieu also missed practice with an injury but one would imagine that Bergevin would have called up a replacement if his injury were serious. More should be known on Friday regarding the extent of Byron and Beaulieu’s injuries.
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