Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin held his post July 1st press conference yesterday, commenting on the trade for Zack Kassian amongst other topics. On Canada Day Bergevin also rewarded Greg Pateryn with a 2 year, one way contract extension, a full year before his current deal expires. After trading Brandon Prust to the Vancouver Canucks for Kassian and a 5th round pick in 2016, Bergevin spent the day signing depth players such as defencemen Joel Hanley, Mark Barberio and forward George “Bud… Holloway all of whom will most likely be a boost to the St. John’s Ice Caps.
Bergevin is proving to be very adept at maneuvering the salary cap with an uncanny way of making excellent trades of veteran players in their last year of contract and getting an excellent return. While Prust provided veteran leadership and toughness, it was obvious that he had lost a step. At a cap hit of $2.5 million, Prust was simply being paid to much to play on the 4th line. Prust will be missed in Montreal but most fans understand the business of the game and this was the right time to let Prust go.
Kassian on the other hand has a cap hit of $1.75 million this year and then becomes a restricted free agent. He has been dogged by inconsistency in his young career and is acutely aware of his shortcomings. In an interview with TSN shortly after the trade, Kassian said:
“Deep down I could have gave more. And they knew that.…
The trade is a low risk/high reward move not to mention the bonus of a 5th round pick, seemingly a Trevor Timmins specialty. A former first round pick, Kassian knows that being on his third team by time he is 24 is a reflection of his play and lack of living up to his potential. At 6’3… and 214 lbs, Kassian is big, strong and possesses very good hands yet he has had trouble putting it altogether. At his best he could be power forward, are projections of 20-20 or 25-25 too much if he finally manages to play up to his potential? In the last 3 seasons he has a shooting percentage of 15.9% but only 195 shots total. Shooting frequently should certainly be a priority for him. So far Kassian is certainly saying all the right things:
“I can play physical, I can grind it, and I like the cycle game, but at the same time, I like to make plays and I like to score goals. When I’m at my best, I can do both….
Where exactly Kassian fits on the Habs roster come opening night is anyone’s guess right now. He could be given the opportunity to play with Max Pacioretty and either David Desharnais or Tomas Plekanec in between. Or perhaps he would fit it on a line with Lars Eller and Devante Smith-Pelly and see time on the powerplay. It will be up to Michel Therrien to experiment with his blender to find the best combination. The other thing I liked about Kassian’s comments was his understanding that in today’s NHL, the best teams have three lines capable of contributing and the ability to roll four lines:
“Montreal is a good, deep team. Anywhere I can fit in and help the team win, I’m more than happy to do so. I don’t look at it as Top 6 or Bottom 6; if you look at the teams that are winning nowadays, they have four lines that all play. Anywhere the coach wants me, I’ll thrive in that role and try to make the team better.…
My immediate reaction following the news of the trade was that it reminded me of when Raphael Diaz was traded to Vancouver for Dale Weise. Like Kassian, Weise had fallen out of favour with his coaches and management and embraced a new opportunity. And Kassian, like Weise had a father whose favorite team was the Montreal Canadiens. That Kassian already has an appreciation for the Canadiens history is a big plus and perhaps just a little extra motivation. It will be up to Kassian to make the most of this new opportunity and back up his words once the season starts. In the meantime he has already endeared himself to Habs fans:
So grateful for the opportunity to play for this organization #habs #herewego pic.twitter.com/K6bdHP4zBJ
It is somewhat unusual for Bergevin to extend his players a year before their contract is up and so the move to extend Pateryn for two years was somewhat surprising but in a pleasant way. Throughout the end of this season and the playoffs, Pateryn proved to be a dependable 5th/6th defenceman and is ready to play everyday. At the cost of $1.6 million over two years, Bergevin has secured a reliable bottom pairing defenceman for an appropriate and reasonable cost, especially considering how much the Canadiens are spending on their top 4 of Subban, Markov, Petry and Emelin. The bigger question is how Jarred Tinordi will fit it with Pateryn’s signing. Talk has been very quiet on how current negotiations are going with the restricted free agent are going…
The other good news coming out of Bergevin’s press conference is that he expects Alex Galchenyuk to be signed sooner rather than later. It seems as though contract talks are going well with his new agent Pat Brisson. As well, Bergevin tempered his post-season remarks on the expectations of Galchenyuk becoming a center:
“I never said he wouldn’t become a centerman. There’s still a possibility that he becomes one. I don’t want to put any pressure on a young player that if he plays, he has to play center. He’s a player that we drafted. Even in Junior, he was playing left-wing. Center is a tough position. You have to be responsible in all three zones. It takes a while to get that. I hope he will, but I can’t tell you that today.…
This should ease the panic that some fans were feeling regarding the future position of Galchenyuk. While the Canadiens still hope he will develop into one, they want to make sure that he is ready to do it on a full time basis. At 21 years old, there is still time for this to happen. Look at the progression of Tyler Seguin. It was only when he was traded to the Dallas Stars two years ago that he became an everyday centerman. Hopefully this is the year that Galchenyuk is ready to make the transition. Aside from the trade, Bergevin showed restraint during free agent frenzy. With no sure fire impactful free agents available, Bergevin kept true to his word that he already used his time prioritizing the signings of Jeff Petry and Torrey Mitchell. While it was impossible to judge the trades made at the time of trade deadline, it is obvious that the Canadiens came out winners on that day. The Canadiens lost a 2nd and 4th round pick for Jeff Petry but the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators paid a steeper price for Andrej Sekara and Cody Franson. The Kings and Predators did not resign either player whereas the Bergevin was able to sign Petry to 6 year extension worth an AAV of $5.5 million. Considering that Mike Green is receiving an AAV of $6 million for 3 years and 35 year old Francois Beauchemin is getting an AAV of $4.5 million for 3 years, Bergevin did especially well in acquiring and retaining Jeff Petry. To acquire Torrey Mitchell, Bergevin only gave up a 7th round pick in 2016 and career minor AHL player Jack Nivens. Mitchell proved himself to be a perfect 4th line centerman and was rewarded with a cap friendly 3 year contract with an AAV of $1.2 million. As Bergevin said:
"The biggest mistakes are made on July 1, so you have to be careful" - Bergevin
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) July 2, 2015Bergevin is never going to show his hand of cards, but slowly he is building the Canadiens the right way. The question is, since the prime of the careers of Carey Price, P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty is happening now, will the missing pieces be filled in time?
Follow me on Twitter! Follow @Jenbcutler