The Canadiens‘ general manager has been busy this summer, completing a glut of signings, one trade, and he even found time to squeeze in a late mid-July fishing trip. Let’s examine his completed work, and take a look towards the roster next season.
Entry-Level Contracts
| Date | Player | Age | Position | $AAV | Years |
| April 12 | Mark MacMillan | 23 | RW | $665K | 2 |
| July 9 | Noah Juulsen | 18 | D | $925K | 3 |
| July 24 | Daniel Audette | 19 | C | $665K | 3 |
- MacMillan earned his ELC following an impressive senior year at North Dakota, which saw him score 16 goals in 25 games.
- Audette was eligible for another year of junior hockey, but the Habs offered him an early contract nonetheless.
- Juulsen signed a standard first-round ELC, and even though it may be considered as an early contract, the advantage is that it will slide, eventually saving the Habs precious salary cap space./
Restricted Free Agents
| Date | Player | Age | Position | $AAV | Year(s) |
| June 1 | Gabriel Dumont | 24 | C | $575K | 1 |
| June 1 | Morgan Ellis | 23 | D | $632K | 1 |
| June 13 | Nathan Beaulieu | 22 | D | $1M | 2 |
| June 30 | Brian Flynn | 26 | C | $950K | 2 |
| July 1 | Greg Pateryn | 25 | D | $800K | 2 |
| July 2 | Christian Thomas | 23 | LW | $600K | 1 |
| July 14 | Michael Bournival | 23 | LW | $600K | 1 |
| July 15 | Jarred Tinordi | 23 | D | $850K | 1 |
| July 30 | Alex Galchenyuk | 21 | LW | $2.8M | 2 |
- Bergevin kept his options open by not offering any of his restricted agents more than a two-year deal.
- The Beaulieu contract should be considered an extreme bargain, since it’s very possible that he eventually works his way into the top four this season
- Pateryn still had another year left on his deal when he signed his new contract
- Galchenyuk’s bridge deal is good value, especially when you compare him to players a few years older with similar production.
- Dumont, Thomas, Bournival, Tinordi, and Ellis were all given “show me” contracts/
Impending and Unrestricted free agents
| Date | Player | Age | Position | $AAV | Year(s) |
| June 2nd | Jeff Petry | 27 | D | $5.5M | 6 |
| June 15th | Torrey Mitchell | 30 | C | $1.2M | 3 |
| July 1st | Joel Hanley | 24 | D | $667K | 1 |
| July 1st | George Holloway | 27 | RW | $575K | 1 |
| July 1st | Mark Barberio | 25 | D | $600K | 1 |
| July 13th | Ryan Johnston | 23 | D | $680K | 2 |
| July 24th | Alexander Semin | 31 | RW | $1.1M | 1 |
- Hanley and Johnston were handed out contracts by the Canadiens, but are likely designed as defensive depth for the St. John’s IceCaps.
- Mark Barberio is a competent defender, and his signing reminds us that all the defensive depth belongs to Bergevin.
- By signing Flynn, Mitchell and Petry, Bergevin retained the services of every asset he acquired at the deadline, a rare feat.
- Petry represents the most important decision Bergevin made this summer. By signing the defender throughout his prime, he shored up his defensive core, and locked down a player that will slowly take over from veteran Andrei Markov as he enters his twilight years. The UFA pool for quality defenders was quite poor this season, and you’d be hard pressed to say that Petry wouldn’t have received a higher offer if he hit the open market.
- The Mitchell contract is the only one listed so far that you could legitimately criticize, and it’s not due to the price tag, seeing as $1.2M is probably fair value for him. It’s the third year of the deal that’s somewhat concerning.
- Bergevin hit a home run with the Semin deal. He needed to address the lack of quality wingers on the roster, and at $1.1M Semin is the epitome of a low risk high reward signing. It was rumoured that he was interested in acquiring Patrick Sharp and T.J. Oshie, as well as attempting to sign Matt Beleskey and Shawn Matthias, although all of those players would have occupied a considerably higher total of the salary cap, whereas Semin is an absolute bargain.
Trade
- Brandon Prust was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Zack Kassian and a fifth-round pick.
This is a perfect example of maximizing the value of an expiring asset. Prust will be a UFA next year, and despite providing a solid defensive presence for the Habs over the years, he’s seven years older than Kassian, and has a higher cap hit. I’m not sure how Bergevin convinced Jim Benning to throw in a fifth-round pick as well, but at this point I’m starting to suspect that Montreal’s GM begins every single negotiation with that demand.
Here’s what the depth chart looked like as the Habs entered the 2014-15 season:
And here’s there current depth chart:
The potential opening roster next season is stronger than last year’s lineup, although it remains to be seen whether or not the new additions can help the Habs exit the NHL’s scoring basement. The only downgrade in terms of talent was the Smith-Pelly for Sekac exchange.
In: Alex Semin, Jeff Petry, Torrey Mitchell, Brian Flynn, Devante Smith-Pelly, George Holloway, Mark Barberio, Joel Hanley, Ryan Johnston, Zack Kassian, Matt Pfeffer.
Out: Manny Malhotra, Brandon Prust, Travis Moen, Jiri Sekac, Mike Weaver, Joey MacDonald, P.A. Parenteau (buyout), Rene Bourque, Davis Drewiske, Jack Nevins, Drayson Bowman, Eric Tangradi.
(charts via Spencer Mann)
The verdict
Altogether it can be said that Bergevin has done solid work this summer, by adding some crucial elements to the team, and doing so on a shoe-string budget. The roster should produce more goals, and if Carey Price provides them with another solid season, they’ll be in good shape.
But can this lineup withstand a slight down-tick in performance from Price, or were the upgrades too marginal to compensate for a season that doesn’t involve a goalie taking home the majority of the trophies at the awards show?
It’s debatable. Kassian provides an offensive upgrade over Prust, Semin provides an upgrade over Parenteau, and Petry is an essential piece of the puzzle, however it’s probably premature to state that it’s an intimidating roster compared to some of the perennial contenders around the league.
Bergevin’s work isn’t done yet
Must Reads
The Canadiens have nine defenders that are waiver eligible, and they also have 15 forwards under contract, which brings the grand total to 25 roster players.
Don’t be surprised if Bergevin alleviates the logjam on defense by trading away one of the waiver eligible youngsters, and the same scenario could take place within the forward group.
Realistically the Habs have a three or four-year window to establish themselves as Stanley Cup contenders, before Carey Price and Max Pacioretty’s contracts expire. Make no mistake, this isn’t a ‘transition year’ by any means. The Habs own one of the best wingers in the league, one of the best defencemen, the best goalie in the world, and a strong supporting cast. If anything, next year should be the beginning of concerted effort to become one of the best teams in the league.
As it stands the Habs currently have $2.9M in cap space to work with, which leaves plenty of opportunity for upgrades before the puck drops on October 7.
Grade Marc Bergevin’s summer work
| A+ This team will compete for a Stanley Cup | 657 |
| B+ It’s a marginally better roster | 1780 |
| C+ They were lateral moves | 154 |
| D+ Not enough upgrades / time is running out | 63 |
| Still too early to judge | 127 |
