Canadiens Notes: Pacioretty, Sergachev, McCarron, Lehkonen, Scherbak
It’s been an interesting offseason for the Montreal Canadiens, to put it mildly. First, they traded away the very charismatic and talented P.K. Subban in a deal that was panned by many pundits and not particularly popular among fans in Montreal. It’s believed that Subban’s colorful personality may not have sat well with the old-school sensibilities of head coach Michel Therrien and general manager Marc Bergevin. Shea Weber, the player acquired for Subban, is quiet and serious, as well as talented and accomplished. At this point in their respective careers, Subban is the more dynamic player and one who offers more long-term value. But Weber is the safer, more conservative defenseman and that apparently was the direction Habs decision-makers were going toward.
Next, the team reached an accord with controversial winger Alexander Radulov on a free agent contract. While Radulov’s talent is unquestioned, he didn’t end his last NHL tenure on a good note and there is certainly risk bringing him on board. In a way, the move contradicted the concept of conservatism the Weber acquisition seemed to suggest.
Now it’s been reported that Therrien was overheard recently at a golf course saying that Max Pacioretty was the worst captain in team history (link in French). For his part, Pacioretty dismissed the report and indicated that after speaking with team coaches, he believes the comments were “reported erroneously,” as Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports writes. He also considers it an honor just to be among the few who have worn the “C” in the team’s illustrious history.
It’s quite possible this situation has blown out of proportion, as Pacioretty suggested. Nonetheless, there were rumors last year that the Habs were unhappy with Subban and could look to move him before his full no move clause kicked in. Those stories were denied by Bergevin practically up until the moment the trade was announced. It will be interesting to follow the Pacioretty story in 2016-17 to see if it ends up swept under the rug or if it is yet another example of where there is smoke, there is fire.
Elsewhere in Habs Land:
- The Canadiens, like other teams, are set to open their prospect camp, where they will get a sort of progress report on their top young players. Mikhail Sergachev is the one player sure to attract the most attention from evaluators, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet. Sergachev was the team’s first-round pick in June, chosen 9th overall. One evaluator, Canadiens director of development, Martin Lapointe, already likes what he sees from the skilled, young Russian defender. “His level of confidence with the puck, at his age, is exceptional. To only be 18 and be so composed with the puck is impressive.” Sergachev is almost certainly at least a year or two away from regular duty in the NHL but it’s apparent the Habs are intrigued with his skill set.
- In addition to Sergachev, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette lists three other prospects the Canadiens will be keeping close tabs on during the camp. Michael McCarron, who we recently profiled here, is a big forward who could add needed size and skill to the team’s bottom six. Artturi Lehkonen is a highly skilled winger who tallied 33 points in 49 games playing in Sweden. According to Hickey, Lehkonen might be best served starting in the AHL as he acclimates to North America. Nikita Scherbak is yet another skilled forward prospect that also has some grit to his game. Hickey reports his progress has been stunted by injuries, though he did get his first taste of pro experience, appearing in 48 games with St. John’s in the AHL and scoring 23 points. Quite likely he will also begin the year in the AHL but could be considered for an early call-up if injuries or ineffectiveness strikes the Canadiens forward corps.
Just How Short Is The Leash In Montreal?
Bob McKenzie appeared on Montreal’s TSN 690 on Monday morning to talk about the Canadiens controversial summer, and just how long of a leash GM Marc Bergevin and coach Michel Therrien have.
McKenzie believes that Bergevin and Therrien aren’t as perilously close to unemployment as some fans think. However, it all depends on how things go to start the season. If the Canadiens are below .500 around American Thanksgiving, then “that’s one [situation] where any coaching staff would have to look over their shoulders a little bit”.
The 2015-16 season started off wonderfully for the Canadiens, who were 12-3 at the start of November when Carey Price got hurt. It was all downhill from there, as backup goalies Mike Condon and Ben Scrivens couldn’t match the elite level of Price. The Canadiens finished 38-38-6. The team came apart from the inside, which lead to some drastic changes in the summer. McKenzie speculated that the organization wants to write off last year’s struggles as “the Carey Price issue. He was injured; we didn’t overcome that.”
Both coach and GM were kept around, and allowed to influence major decisions.
“When you push for something, and I have to assume that Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien pushed for this – this was something they felt the hockey club needed, and it’s a total different direction to go from P.K. Subban to Shea Weber – then you’ve got to get some results.”
When asked whether or not Bergevin and Therrien’s fates are tied together, McKenzie said even though Bergevin is still behind Therrien after the “horrific” year they had, there will come a point where “the GM will have to make the hard call on his coach… most coaches don’t survive forever.” Based on public comments, it would take a really tough start for Bergevin to axe Therrien, as the pair appear to be close in philosophy, but no coach is safe forever.
Ultimately, McKenzie believes the situation is fluid, depending “on how are they playing, what are the reasons for the losses”, but doesn’t believe the leash is “so short that there’s a chance [Bergevin]’s going to be gone by Christmas.”
Behind The Scenes Of The Busiest Day Of The Summer
The Oilers decided Taylor Hall would be the one to go shortly before the NHL draft, according a great new article by Elliotte Friedman about those crazy 23 minutes on June 29.
A couple of members of the Oilers told Friedman that they believed the team wanted to make it easier for Connor McDavid to become the guy in the dressing room, calling Hall a “dominant personality”.
Ultimately, while avoiding putting down Hall, Friedman’s sources seem to suggest the Oilers made the trade for reasons other than hockey, similar to the last time Peter Chiarelli traded a top-two pick from 2010. It makes you wonder what we don’t know, because making a trade to remove Hall’s big locker room presence, only to replace him with Milan Lucic’s even bigger presence, doesn’t make a lot of sense at face value.
Meanwhile, Chiarelli told Friedman that he knew he would be parting with a significant player because “everyone knew we were looking for a defenseman”.
The trade talks between Edmonton and New Jersey picked up steam two days before the trade was finalized. The two teams had been talking since the trade deadline, initially regarding Eric Gelinas who was later traded to Colorado. According to Friedman, “at some point, Adam Larsson became central to the conversation, but no deal was ever close until the very end.”
Chiarelli asked for more than just Larsson, but Devils GM Ray Shero said they couldn’t add anyone else for cap reasons. Which seems odd, because the Devils are still hovering around the cap floor.
As suggested previously, there were other trades looked at by the Oilers leading up to the draft. Friedman suggests Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Faulk, Tyson Barrie, and Matt Dumba were all explored, but Chiarelli insists they “weren’t close on anything”. Edmonton was also kicking around a three-way trade with Columbus and Calgary, with the Oilers moving down to 6th overall to select Matthew Tkachuk or Mikhail Sergachev. Ultimately, the Oilers realized that Jesse Puljujärvi would fall to them and that would give them some flexibility to trade a winger.
As far as his post-trade phone call with Hall, Chiarelli refused to share details of the “private” conversation, but would say “there was a lot of dead air.”
Moving to the P.K. Subban blockbuster, Friedman said rumours about Subban being moved intensified in February after Canadiens coach Michel Therrien singled out Subban for a give-away that lead to a game-winning goal versus the Avalanche. Despite GM Marc Bergevin’s best effort to put a damper on media speculation around the draft, talk was running wild at the time, even drawing Canucks GM Jim Benning in, resulting in a tampering fine. Vancouver had an advantage of a high pick in play, but once it became clear that Pierre-Luc Dubois would not make it past Columbus, they were out. Colorado was unable to accept Subban’s $9MM salary, and apparently so was Edmonton. Chiarelli was unwilling to add the $9MM price tag to whatever McDavid will be making in two years.
Then Nashville offered Shea Weber. The older Weber was not what the Canadiens had been asking for – previously it had been Subban’s peers or packages of younger players. The enormity of the deal was not lost on the two teams, with one front office member saying “I think both teams had moments where they couldn’t believe what they were considering.”
Predators GM David Poile said the trade was tough, considering the major community presence of Weber. Poile said he wants to have a sit-down with Weber in the near future to tell him “how much he meant to us. It’s important he recognizes that. When a player hears he’s been traded, he doesn’t hear anything else you have to say.”
As far as the Steven Stamkos signing, Friedman revealed that the Lightning were close to moving him last summer before his no-trade clause kicked in, similar to Subban this summer. However, the front runners were the Buffalo Sabres who were unwilling to move the 2nd overall pick that would become Jack Eichel and talks died down.
Stamkos met with the Maple Leafs but decided that he didn’t want to leave, and ultimately agreed to the number proposed by GM Steve Yzerman back in the spring. Like Hall, Subban, and Weber have said post-trade, moving on is hard to take. As Friedman put it, “no doubt those same thoughts entered Stamkos’ mind too”.
Interestingly, Friedman spoke with nearly all involved in the day: Chiarelli, Poile, Hall, Subban, Yzerman, and Stamkos. Only Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin declined to speak, with one of his fellow GMs suggesting if Bergevin could have his way, “he’d never talk discuss this trade again”.
Snapshots: AHL Coaching Promotions, Price, Canadiens
The Toronto Sun’s Michael Traikos writes that the flow of coaches from the American Hockey League to the NHL continues steady. With the recent hire of Jared Bednar, Traikos reports that 23 coaches in the NHL have been a bench boss in the AHL at some point in their career. The wild success of Mike Sullivan, who was tapped by the Penguins mid-season from their own affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, seems to have once again made the AHL to NHL pipeline hot again. Traikos continues that teams are promoting coaches like they do players, investing heavily on both the ice and the bench. Jon Cooper, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is an example of that, as his guidance at both the AHL and NHL has paid dividends for the Bolts. Could Bednar’s success with the Monsters follow the pattern of Sullivan and Cooper?
In other NHL news:
- NBC Sports writes on the Canadiens today and includes a piece on Carey Price and what could happen should injury befall him again. Drawing upon the signing of Al Montoya, NBC’s James O’Brien isn’t so sure Montoya could handle the scrutiny that comes with being a netminder in Montreal. While writing that Montoya is an upgrade over Mike Condon, but adds that the Habs “live and die” by Price. Despite being a high pick in the 2004 (6th overall), Montoya has never risen to the level of being “the guy” and as O’Brien astutely points out, Montoya is a great pickup so long as he’s not relied upon in heavy doses. One another interesting point: will Marc Bergevin get a “Price pass,” should he go down again this season?
- In another Habs article on NBC, Joey Alfieri wonders where the Canadiens will finish this season. Noting the importance of having Price, Alfieri writes that the veteran goaltender has taken great lengths to improve his conditioning and diet. Montreal also added Shea Weber and Andrew Shaw, two critical pieces that should help a team decimated by Price’s injury last season. A healthy squad, with Price backstopping them, should help Montreal back to its winning ways.
Canadiens Owner Confident Subban Trade Is Good For Team
The Montreal Canadiens will be better off for trading P.K. Subban, according to the team’s owner and president Geoff Molson. Molson spoke about the controversial trade at Monday’s press conference announcing the relocation of the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate from St. John’s to Laval.
The Canadian Press quoted Molson as saying he supports GM Marc Bergevin “100 per cent”, however he’s “not surprised how the fans reacted” because they “love him and still will love him”.
Subban has been a larger-than-life superstar for the Canadiens since his debut in 2009-10, amassing 63 goals and 278 points 434 regular season games. He’s added 38 points in 55 post-season games. The Toronto-native also donated $10MM to the Montreal Children’s Hospital last year, where he spends time visiting with patients.
Bergevin has been busy this summer, trading Subban, Lars Eller, and a pair of 2nd round picks picks for Shea Weber, Andrew Shaw, and two different 2nd round picks. He’s also signed highly-skilled, controversial-in-his-own-right Russian winger Alex Radulov to boost the offence, depth defenceman Zach Redmond, and Al Montoya to create competition in goal.
The Canadiens finished missed the playoffs last year, due in large part to Carey Price‘s injury which limited him to just 12 games. Price is healthy and is expected start for Canada at the World Cup this September.
Molson said he and Subban have spoken since the trade, and Subban will continue his work with the Montreal Children’s Hospital. The Predators’ only visit to Montreal next season is March 2, a date Molson said he’s looking forward to.
Snapshots: Stamkos And Subban
The Steven Stamkos bidding war was ended very quickly by the player re-signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos was pitched by just three teams (Montreal, Buffalo, Toronto) before ending the process. That may be because of the Maple Leafs’ pitch, according to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun.
While teams bringing in big names to woo players isn’t uncommon (Oilers legends Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky were famously involved in the Oilers acquiring Justin Schultz), the Maple Leafs may have gone overboard. Back in June, Simmons reported team president Brendan Shanahan, GM Lou Lamoriello, Toronto mayor John Tory, and Canadian Tire CEO Michael B. Medine all met with Stamkos to sell the Maple Leafs, Toronto, and potential endorsement opportunities. Simmons reported Sunday that after the meeting, Stamkos told his agent that he didn’t want any more meetings and he wanted to speak with Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. He was officially re-signed two days after his meeting in Toronto.
Other notes from around the league:
- It was reported shortly after the P.K. Subban/ Shea Weber trade on June 29 that Nashville Predators would not honor Subban’s no-trade clause (NTC). Vice Sports columnist Sean McIndoe explored the bizarre rule that allowed the Predators to nix the clause one day before it was supposed to come into effect. Essentially, the CBA rules state that those clauses are binding to the acquiring team, unless the clause hasn’t come into effect yet. An NTC is often a hard-fought-for part of a contract, with players sometimes taking concessions on salary or term in order to get it. However, its doubtful that Subban made any concessions to get one, considering he will make $9MM per year until 2022. And while its also unlikely that the Predators will trade their new superstar, Subban would have no say if they decided to move him out before the end of his contract. Our Mike Furlano has previously explained no-trade and no-move clauses in more depth.
- Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin told NHL.com that he has stayed away from reading media reports about the Subban trade, saying fans and media are guessing at what goes on behind the scenes. The Canadiens GM says he wants to “unplug” after a tough season. Bergevin also spoke about comparisons between the Patrick Roy trade and the Subban one, saying Roy won “two Stanley Cups … I’ve always believed that winning a Stanley Cup changes everything”.
Montreal Asked For Draisaitl, 4th Overall, Plus for Subban
After today’s Taylor Hall and PK Subban trades, Oilers fans might be wondering why the Oilers couldn’t get a deal done for Subban. Well here’s why: TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported Wednesday night that the asking price for the stud defenceman was Leon Draisaitl, the 4th overall pick which ultimately became Jesse Puljujärvi, one of Oscar Klefbom or Darnell Nurse, plus more.
Klefbom is the Oilers top defenceman next to Andrej Sekera and newly acquired Adam Larsson. Nurse is a highly promising former 7th overall pick who played most of last season in the NHL with mixed results but should develop hugely next season. The Oilers were likely not willing to part with such a big part of their future blue-line to improve it now.
Draisaitl showed massive improvement last season, cracking the 50-point barrier on a line with the now traded duo of Hall and Teddy Purcell. The big center can play both center and wing, and is expected to play a key role in the upcoming season in the Oilers top 6.
Those two pieces already represent a large trade value, before we get to the just-drafted Puljujärvi. The Finnish forward unexpectedly fell to 4th overall and is likely to play in the Oilers top 9 this season.
With those pieces plus the mystery of what “more” could mean, it’s understandable why the Oilers passed on Subban. However, it should be asked which group would help Edmonton turn the corner this season: Hall and Subban, or Drasaitl, Klefbom, Puljujärvi, and Larsson.
The answer to that debate can never be known. Edmonton passed on trading a massive haul for Subban to trade Hall for Larsson.