The Montreal Canadiens’ future is looking brighter and brighter with each passing season. An overhaul of the organization during the 2011-2012 offseason saw the emergence of general manager Marc Bergevin and the return of the prodigal head coach Michel Therrien. Both had gained invaluable experience, with Bergevin making a name for himself with the Chicago Blackhawks and Therrien through coaching the Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup final. The latter was significantly more mature and calmer than during his previous stint with the Habs through 2000-2003, and he knew he had to be in order to survive the overbearing media pressures in Montreal.
Thankfully, the head coach has delivered and done an exceptional job in guiding this current edition of the Habs in winning ways, despite that some of the fanbase may proclaim otherwise. The numbers surely don’t lie, but Therrien has had help from Bergevin in more ways than one.
Let’s look at some of Bergevin’s signings:
Mac Pacioretty: 6 years, $4.5M
Not enough can be said about the player many are calling the next Habs’ captain. Whether that sentiment is the consensus or not, we’d all be hard-pressed into believing that Pacioretty represents the biggest (contractual) bargain in the NHL. A near 40-goals scorer two seasons in a row and with 4 years remaining in his contract, it seems that #67 is only getting better every single time he hits the ice. His defensive game deserves a lot more recognition, and I’m tempted to call him one of the best two-way forwards of the game.
Brendan Gallagher: 6 years, $3.75M
Gallagher earned a long-term deal right after his entry-level contract expired. This shows just how much confidence the organization had in a young player who works harder than anyone else on the ice at all times. My personal pick for the next captain, Gallagher will only to continue to improve in all facets of his game throughout the course of his career and contract. I would not be surprised to see him score 30 goals a season at some point, and his devotion is exemplary and highly appreciated amongst his teammates.
Carey Price: 6 years, $6.5M
The best goaltender in the NHL was also signed at a rate that does not represent how valuable of an asset he is. I don’t really need to get into how important Price is to this team, nor how big of a role he would play on any other of the 29 teams in the league. We’ve all seen the miracles he’s pulled off night after night- Bergevin deserves credit for this signing, although we should not forget that Price was drafted under the Bob Gainey era…
PK Subban: 8 years, $9M
This signature was an absolute stroke of genius by Marc Bergevin. The infamous bridge contract that Bergevin forced Subban to sign prior to his long-term deal (2 years, $2.875M) was absolutely perfect for both parties, in that Subban was forced to play as best as he could in order to earn a lucrative contract. He would win the Norris trophy as the best defenseman and put up amazing statistics. Bergevin would guarantee that Subban would stick around for 10 years as opposed to 5 or 6, and PK would have commanded a significantly higher pay in early free agency. He would have been in his prime, and Bergevin ensured that PK would stick around until the age of 33, which is when most players begin to decline in the NHL.
Jeff Petry: 6 years, $5.5M
Petry signed in Montreal at a discount rate. There’s simply no denying that he would have fetched more on the market this summer as an unrestricted free agent, yet he opted to sign here nevertheless. I’ve always been advocating for the general manager to get him signed at all costs, and so this is a signature that I’m admittedly a fan of, personally. Unsurprisingly, a lot of players (including Price and Subban) were pushing the GM to keep Petry around, before the playoffs even began. He’s genuinely loved and appreciated by his teammates, and he’s got 6 years to show them how grateful he is that they were on his side. A smart, puck-moving right-handed defenseman who’s responsible in his own zone makes Petry a total package at an excellent price.
In all, it’s clear to see that Bergevin believes that the Montreal Canadiens are headed in the right direction and are within a 1-5 year bracket of winning a Stanley Cup. The nucleus of this team consists of Price, Subban, Petry, Pacioretty and Gallagher, and they simply need to be surrounded by possibly one or two more elite players in order to truly become the contenders they should be.
Let’s not forget that Markov, Beaulieu, Gilbert and Pateryn are very serviceable, and I believe that Beaulieu can definitely rise above and become an elite defenseman in the NHL once he’s 100% confident in his abilities. I do not intend to discuss the forward position as of yet, but opted to focus on the key signings that Marc Bergevein made.
In my opinion, there’s still the case of Alex Galchenyuk that needs to be dealt with this summer, and I’d be surprised if Bergevin signed him to a long-term deal right out the gates. He will surely sign a bridge contract, over deliver on performances and stats through the next two years, and finally solidify himself as the Habs’ number one center.
In my next article, I will look at the important trades the general manager made and how they affected the team.
Who do you think is part of the long-term nucleus of the Montreal Canadiens?