Other than Caufield, there isn't much to celebrate this offseason. The 2019-20 team took a step backwards in my opinion, I think a repeat of 96 pts will be a stretch.
I am most annoyed that they traded Andrew Shaw. Bergy cleared cap-space for what exactly?... A low-ball offer-sheet for Aho that wasn't gonna work? Maybe if they offered him 10 or 11 mil, but its all over now anyway...and now there's a good chance Bergy is going to be blacklisted by the other GMs to some extent for 'going there'.
All of this doesn't even mention the fact that Shaw is as advertised. A leader who plays the game the right way and can put the puck in the net (and actually goes to the net!) for a team that always struggles to score. Trading one of the most respected guys around because you're concerned about his concussions to clear up cap space to do nothing is dumb and sends the wrong message to any vets who might even consider themselves a 5% chance of playing in MTL. i will concede that maybe Shaw wanted out too.
Why couldn't they bring back Benn for 2 million? He said he wanted to be back. Benn really had a great season on a good club last year. Yes, they need the size and package that Chairot brings, but having both him and Benn is much better that replacing one with the other in my opinion. WHo knows, maybe Juulsen can fill in there, but I liked Benn a lot.
Keith Kincaid sucks.
But hey, not to beat a dead-horse here...kudos to Bergy for filling in the lineup with depth guys who do nothing to help the team put pucks in the net!! Armia, Lekhonen, Thompson, Weal, and Folin and the list goes on.
Bois' assessments of Bergevin's speciality as a GM are spot on. He trades for grinders and rewards them with job security and then surprisingly their play drops off! Torrey Mitchell should be brought back once he's looking for a new deal LOL.
They have a hard time bringing in FAs because of the Quebec thing and the taxes thing and the media....sure, of course. But the hockey department itself lacks vision in my opinion. I think a new GM should get a shot at this point and I don't think it's an unfair thought. That offer sheet was desperate garbage.
I do like the way the team plays. I love the emphasis on speed too. I love Dom Ducharme and everything he brings. But we know it's only a matter of time before Ducharme goes elsewhere to win. This is not to say I don't like Julien. I like Claude a lot and thought he did a spectacular job last season even in letting Ducharme help the team's style evolve. I guess maybe we can hope there is a succession plan in place?
The prospect pool is pretty good, but for a team that was a couple tough losses from being a 100 pt playoff team, it really hurts to see the team end up looking worse than better, especially when loaded with a shit-load of cap space. For the love of God fire Bergy before training camp.