Like many in Montreal, Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin is disappointed with the way this season turned out for his team. After a promising 9-0-0 start to the year, the Canadiens suffered through one of the worst collapses in NHL history.
“I’m glad to see that our players are putting in the effort every single night because effort is non-negotiable with me,” said Bergevin, per the Journdal de Montreal (quotes have been translated).
“But I’m not happy about our situation and we’ll evaluate everything at the end of the regular season.”
However, according to a TVA report, part of that evaluation may already be done.
TVA’s Renaud Lavoie has “obtained information” claiming head coach Michel Therrien will be back to coach the Habs next season. This comes after Bergevin had previously given Therrien a vote of confidence for the remainder of this campaign, one that came in late January with the Canadiens having won just four times in their last 21 contests.
If the TVA report holds true and Therrien returns, Bergevin’s focus will shift to the roster he’s assembled -- and what went wrong with it.
There’s a number of reasons why the Canadiens find themselves out of the playoff picture at this point. Losing star goaltender Carey Price was a huge blow, but trusting that Mike Condon could fill-in during Price’s absence was a big miscalculation by the Canadiens front office.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that if a defenseman or a forward would’ve suffered the same injury (as Price), they’d be back already. The problem is Carey’s position and size. I’m confident that no error was made (by the medical staff).
“His recovery is going slower than we would have hoped.”
Another reason the Habs crumbled in 2015-16 was because of their inability to put the puck in the net. Montreal went into last off-season with two gaping holes on the wing. Bergevin’s attempted to fill those spots with Zack Kassian and Alex Semin. Both acquisitions failed to finish the year in Montreal.
Bergevin can evaluate his team’s on-ice performance all he wants, but it’ll be up to him to acquire at least one more top-six forward over the summer.