Good post Gerry. As you suggest, the slots will indeed be filled but,
like you, I don't see how this team will improve and I'm actually
shocked that Price signed his extension. The team assembled in front of
him gets more questionable as the years pass under Bergevin’s tenure.
Last year the team struggled to score goals and unless Bergevin pulls
something out of his sleeve or some other orifice, that need will go
unmet. Last year and for the 4 previous years of Bergevin’s tenure the
team has needed a #1 centre. That's still a gaping hole that will go
unfilled. Starting last year the team needed a legitimate #2 centre and
like the two previous holes this one will still be a hole in October.
Lastly, there was nobody to play as a legitimate #2 defenceman alongside
Shea Weber and in October the team will still have a huge question mark
in that regard. The only “need” that Bergevin seems to have addressed is
the need for more French talent and that need is dubious at best. It
addresses a need as far as the press goes and he did bring in a
legitimate first line player but the team has lost an equally viable
talent in Alex Radulov while ticking off Galchenyuk who now will likely
go to arbitration.
The team is no better than it was last year and I’ll be surprised if it
gets any better. I would have thought Carey Price would have waited to
see how the year panned out before committing himself to what appears to
me to be a team that will jump on his shoulders and ride the Carey Price
bus until its outta gas. Carey Price has locked himself into 8 years of
mediocrity and I'm gobsmacked that he did.
At the start of last year I said that this team was a bubble team that
will go as far as Carey Price will take them. Unless Radulov comes into
the picture (and at this point I'm sure Bergevin's presser put the final
nail in that coffin) this team is just going to muddle along in the same
direction.
As a long time Habs fan, last year was the first year that I had
minimized my expectations for this team. I've always had that optimistic
outlook (some might say rose colored glasses even) but Bergevin's
inability to bring in talent, hold on to young talent, pick the right
coaches has pretty much driven out the last remaining bit of optimism I
have for this team. They're a bubble team that is only a Carey Price
injury away from missing the playoffs. They'll likely make the playoffs
most years and Price may even steal a series, maybe two but the same old
warts (lack of scoring, no centre, no puck moving D) will eventually
doom this team to NHL purgatory.
I'll continue to watch but, like last year, I won't watch as much and I
won't expect much. Maybe in that regard this is where Bergevin has seen
his success. He's tempered the fan's enthusiasm and brought us back to
reality. No longer will the team be invited to camp with the stated goal
to win the Stanley Cup. Success will be measured against making the
playoffs. Because after all, its sooooo hard to get a #1 centre and
build a team in the cap era. Must be nice to have a job where you can
lament how hard it is to do what you are expected to do. Maybe in
another life I'll get lucky and land a gig like that.