Trade market closed; entering final stretch

Now that silly season, a.k.a., the NHL trade deadline has come and gone we can focus on the final stretch and the playoffs. Gone are the trade rumors, many of them silly, now its nose to the grindstone and on to the big spring dance. For that the Habs are well positioned. they are more focused on securing a favorable playoff position than on battling for that last playoff spot. This means the team may have the luxury of doing a few things. 

First they can perhaps find ways to rest some of the key veterans like Markov and give Price a breather before the playoffs start. The coaching staff can also continue to tinker with the line up to find the right combos for the playoffs. Bergevin may have said that the Habs do not have that "check" next to their name but for all intents and purposes the team is a playoff lock. 

This entry will thus be a speculative one but will also include a brief overview of what Bergevin did at the deadline. 

The Deadline

My grade for Bergevin's work at the deadline is a solid A-. It is not an "A" because that would have required a "homerun trade". It is however a solid day of work for the following reasons:

• He did not give up a single top prospect, roster player or a 1st round pick
• He added depth to the team and in doing so fueled the healthy internal competition that is at the core of most successful teams
• He added depth on defense in the form of another very good puck moving dman. 
• He did not get suckered into a gross over payment of a deal or sell off the future for some ill-advised big name player addition. 

The players he acquired will help the Habs and add depth to the NHL roster. No coveted top 6 forward was acquired but that may come in the summer. 

The Habs are winning this year and they have from all accounts that matter great team chemistry. Under those circumstances, the GM was wise not to mess with this. The Habs are on the upswing but not quite there yet so that major deal many fans crave (sometimes for the sake of seeing a major deal alone) may not have been well timed this year. 

Add yesterday's work to what Bergevin has done since last summer and you see what I alluded to in a previous entry on this blog: this GM has a plan and makes SMART trades that consider the present, the future, the cap this year and next year and team needs.

I for one am quite comfortable with the moves he made and with the team at this point in time. I fully expect more moves in the off-season. I also prefer to wait a while before judging trades so that the players and assets moved all fall into place and have a chance to show what they can or cannot do. Case in point would be the Diaz for Weise deal. 

Points of note

1- When Emelin returns, the Habs will have some interesting options on D. Weaver seems to be the odd man out but that was expected considering his deal and place on the roster. Emelin was playing better just before getting hurt and his physical presence may be sorely needed in the playoffs. As such who sits? Well the Petry acquisition creates some stiff internal competition for a guy like Gilbert and continues to challenge Beaulieu to excel. Gonchar will also need to keep playing well. 

2- The player uber love or uber hate from fans of this team is astounding. It is often a case of all or nothing. Case in point Lars Eller. Those who hate him see nothing good, those that love him find all sorts of excuses for his lack of production (none being the players fault). Can there not be some form of middle ground where Eller's problems are in large part of his own making? My view is that Eller is miscast by many fans and that this creates unrealistic expectations. Eller is a 3C with defensive aptitudes & size. He can produce offensively but not all that much due to his very average hockey sense or offensive vision on the ice. Guess what? He is also paid like a 3C at 3.5M. 

3- The firetherrien meter has gone down a bit lately, largely due to the fact that the team sits in first place of its conference. You still hear echoes of the vitriol but they are not as prevalent. We all know that a couple more losses and the possee will be out in full force. Heck, Therrien gets blamed for everything, possibly including Climate Change. Yet this coach just keeps winning. Yeah sure he rubs some people the wrong way, he always has. Yet he wins. The main counter-argument his winning will be that he is just "lucky" to have Price. That is true, he is lucky to have such a goaltender but guess what, most top end teams rely on a very good to great goalie (see: Predators, Rangers, Kings...). The fact is that Therrien seems to get a lot out of many of his players and that the team seems very united and tight. 

4- For a coach that "hates" or cannot develop young players, Therrien sure plays a lot of them on the team and in key situations too. Some of those young players he hates and cannot develop seem to have magically developed, I assume despite him. Case in point: Pacioretty taking huge strides since Therrien  has been his coach, Gallagher making the team as a rookie and becoming part of the core, Galchenyuk developing at a nice pace, Beaulieu, DLR and Subban also taking huge strides under this coach. Sure he aint perfect, but he seems to either be the luckiest coach in the history of hockey or to perhaps know what the heck is doing....you can choose which interpretation according to your preferences!

5- Beaulieu has clearly understood the message from MB and MT. He gets it. He forced the team's hand and grabbed a spot for himself through his play. In short, he earned his spot. Tinordi is not quite there yet but in my opinion will get there with a bit more work in the AHL. We have very little patience in Montreal but Bergevin is clearly applying the Detroit and Chicago development approach. That is the patient approach. 

6- PA Parenteau is in a hot spot. He cannot play bottom 6 so he MUST produce in the top 6. He will now get a few games to show that he can. This guy was acquired to get rid of Briere. He does not truly fit the Habs mold in terms of the players the organization wants. He is thus in a tough spot. 

7- Most smart GMs and coaches work together to build a team based on a plan and on a philosophy. Successful teams seem to all apply this rule. This means drafting and developing players that fit organisational style but also acquiring or trading those that fit or do not fit the coach and the system. This is pretty basic stuff. Holland does it in Detroit with Babcock for example. Bergevin clearly does this with Therrien. To me that is just sound. I could be wrong...

8- Price will need some rest before the playoffs. The Habs position in the standings may allow for that to happen. Price also gets run sometimes. The Habs can address this in only one way: get the puck out of their zone fast. That seems to be the intent of the team as the d-core is based on puck movers instead of bruisers. This will be the Habs best defense against Price getting run. It is a risky approach but having a bruiser or two is also not a guarantee against Price being run. 

9- Markov is enjoying his best season since before his series of injuries. He is solid out there. Sure  he benefits from playing with Subban but guess what PK also benefits from playing with Markov. 

10- Subban should be in the conversation for the Norris. In my opinion, has stiff competition for the trophy in the name of Shea Weber and others. 

11- Price is in the lead for the Vezina and certainly in the conversation for the Hart. If I had to bet: he wins the Hart and Rinne gets the Vezina. If I was choosing or saying who deserves it: Price deserves both trophies.