Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

GM Bracket Battle: McCrimmon vs. Bergevin

September 4, 2020, 10:24 PM ET [15 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Another first-round instalment of the GM Bracket Battle, another convincing victory; David Poile cruised to a win against Ron Francis to join Steve Yzerman in the second round. My hunch is that tonight’s matchup will be another one-sided affair:

8 – Vegas Golden Knights: Kelly McCrimmon

What’s not to love about the job that Kelly McCrimmon has done in Vegas? He worked with George McPhee to build the franchise from scratch, and has done nothing but build on the positives since taking over as General Manager. What’s particularly impressive about McCrimmon’s early run as GM in Vegas is the way he’s responded to clear challenges and areas of need. Example: Goaltending was an issue for the Golden Knights this season, so he went out and acquired a goalie from the league’s upper echelon.

Even decisions that might look questionable at the time (e.g. the firing of Gerard Gallant) have turned to gold for McCrimmon and his team. Vegas is a machine. The only thing that can stop them is apparently Thatcher Demko.

25 – Montreal Canadiens: Marc Bergevin
Since taking the reins as Montreal’s GM in 2012, Bergevin’s track record has been mixed. For a lot of his tenure, it’s been difficult to figure out what the Canadiens were trying to do beyond rely on Carey Price. Now, finally with some good young players, prospects, and picks in the system, some of the truly great players in the organization (e.g. Price, Shea Weber, Jeff Petry, etc.) are on the wrong side of 30. It’s almost like the timing of what Bergevin was trying to do with his team just didn’t line up as intended.

There’s obviously still time for the Canadiens to turn into a contender under Bergevin’s leadership – and Bergevin does deserve a ton of credit for accumulating picks and prospects over the course of the last year or two - but it’s been hard to view the team as anything other than middling for a good chunk of the GM’s run to date.

--

Who is the better NHL GM?
Kelly McCrimmon
Marc Bergevin
Create your own surveys


As always, thanks for reading.
Join the Discussion: » 15 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Michael Stuart
» Brown, Paul Combine for Canada's Golden Goal at World Championship
» Senators to Select 10th Overall; What Should They Do with the Pick?
» Finding the Right Centerpiece
» Senators Team Awards Ballot
» Melnyk Speaks