The aftermath of Marc Bergevin began in the same way as the counterpart Marc Bergevin: with a defeat.
After a monster sweep at the Bell Center, which contributed to four starts in less than 24 hours, the Canadian found himself facing the Vancouver Canucks with the same face: that of a fragile club, not very talented, which undone at the slightest opportunity. The Canucks, far from being a powerhouse, were able to get out of here Monday night with a 2-1 victory.
Changes take time, and it’s not in a few days or weeks that this Canadian will suddenly look better. This is not to scare anyone, but sometimes a change of course can take years. Decades when you’re really unlucky.
“It looks like here, we always follow a good season with a difficult season,” noted Brendan Gallagher late in the evening.
It’s not false. Under Bergevin, the Canadian had two magical seasons: that of last year and that of 2013-2014, with a place in the Eastern final. After 2014, the Canadian lost in the second round the following season. It looks a lot worse than that this time around.
We must therefore face the facts: by bringing Jeff Gorton here, by preparing for the arrival of a new GM, the management of the Canadian is already turning to the following season. Dominique Ducharme also explained on leaving Monday evening that the moment was perfect for young people who have things to show.
Business is business, and nothing lasts forever, but this transition won’t be so easy. On the ice, first of all, because the defeats will continue to accumulate, but also in the corridors of the Brossard training center, where Bergevin had his habits, always ready to discuss with his players.
“From my point of view, I can never thank him enough,” said a visibly emotional Brendan Gallagher Monday night at the Bell Center. In my first year here, there are probably not many GMs who would have wanted to keep a pick of 5th turn too small… he was always someone we wanted to talk to and who cared about the fate of the club. He just wanted to help us be successful.
“We had competitive clubs while Marc was here… We took part in an association final, we got a presence in the grand final last year. We can never thank him enough for everything he has done for us. He had this passion and he had this loyalty. He did everything to win. ”
And now, in the probably not so distant future, Brendan Gallagher will be among the players who will be closely analyzed by the next club management. In Montreal, the word “reconstruction” is taboo, no one talks about it and no one will want to talk about it, but there are choices that will have to be made.
And also, there are players who may have to decide if they want to leave or be part of the next adventure.
“I always came out wanting to win,” added Gallagher. Sometimes there are organizations that have to go through what we are going through. But I play to win, it’s the only way for me to have fun. And I need to feel like we’re trying to win. We’ll have this conversation later, but it’s an organization that I love. I haven’t thought about all of that yet… ”
But Gallagher will have to think about it, like several other veterans. For most members of The Canadian, thinking about 2022-2023 is all that’s left to do.
In details
It smells like Sweden for Norlinder
Now may not be the right time for Mattias Norlinder to shop for property in Montreal, and it’s not just because of the explosion of violence in the city’s central neighborhoods. In his fifth game, the 21-year-old defenseman spent just 12:27 on the ice. For the third time, he was not employed in numerical superiority, he who is nevertheless recognized for his offensive qualities. And he only got four appearances in the third period. Moreover, although he is officially on the third duet in the company of Sami Niku, Norlinder did not dispute a single second with the unpredictable Finn. Obviously, its missions are reduced to a minimum. Recall, for the umpteenth time, that he would return to play in the Swedish first division if the CH cut him off from his training. So what are the club’s plans for him? Dominique Ducharme’s response was not very exciting for the young man: “We will look at this in the coming days and weeks. We will see when the players [blessés] are going to be ready to come back. It will influence the rest. ”
The best remedy for gloom
The fluorescent yellow sign, brandished in the front rows of the Bell Center, left no room for interpretation: “Dismiss Jim Benning!” Vancouver Canucks fans are furious, and they’re showing it from coast to coast. Their team had a pitiful start to the season, lying last in the weak Pacific division. The Vancouverites showed energy against CH, despite playing a second game in two nights, and a fourth in six, on the road to boot. However, they found in Montreal the perfect remedy against the gloom: a duel against the Canadian. The Glorious ones make a specialty of boosting the morale of routed teams. At the start of the season, the Seattle Kraken had won only one of their first five games, before wiping their feet on the Canadian by 5-1. A few days ago, the Penguins had won only twice in 10 games: a 6-0 victory in Montreal. Last week, the Sabers wanted to chase a streak of 2 wins in 12 games: a 4-1 victory over the Habs. The Canucks? They had won only once in 10 games before Monday. We know the rest.
Leggings first
It was only the third time this season that the Canadian lost by a margin of just one goal in regulation time. One-sided games, on either side, are much more fashionable. However, against the Canucks, we witnessed a duel of the toughest goaltenders. Outsmarted by a perfect shot and quick play following a turnaround, Jake Allen had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. On the other hand, Thatcher Demko was less busy than his opponent, but he still made the stoppage, with just over three minutes to go. Taken on the wrong foot when Ben Chiarot had the puck to his right, Demko drew on his last resources to throw himself towards the shooter, leggings in the air, as in the 80s. Chiarot could not believe his eyes, and neither can the Canucks. “The bench is on fire! Pettersson said after the meeting. ” [Chiarot] was ahead of me, meanwhile analyzed the goalkeeper. I knew he could put the puck where he wanted. I had to find something. And it happened.
Rising
Jonathan drouin
His feint of the head on the only goal of his club, that of Ryan Poehling, was of any beauty.
Falling
Jeff petry
The difficult season continues… it is as if he has completely lost his confidence.
The number
42
The number of shots the Canucks landed. Allen had faced 50 shots in his previous start in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
They said
It was ups and downs in this game, but we had chances in the third to tie the game. In the second half, we weren’t so good with the puck, they made us pay for it. On our side, especially in the second period, we got too far from the puck. We fell into the kind of games they wanted to play.
Dominique ducharme
[Ryan Poehling] play good hockey. I thought he was creating good things with Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia, which is why I kept them together in the third period. This is how you make your place.
Dominique ducharme
[Cole Caufield] has ups and downs. It will have to be evaluated over a longer period. We have injuries in attack, we need players who can stand up immediately. Time for some guys to show they’re ready to stay [avec le Canadien].
Dominique ducharme
With the club’s decisions at the end of the week, it’s a new start and we’re heading in the right direction.
Brendan Gallagher
Every time you see a guy like Marc Bergevin leave, it’s sad. I appreciate what he has done for me. It’s hard to see him go… I was surprised, but obviously, with our start to the season, things have to change. I still think it’s our fault, we didn’t do the job. We had a difficult start to the season and it was he who had to pay the price.
Josh Anderson
We’re two similar teams, and we wanted to be on our toes from the start and play very fast. It’s hard to do in a second game in two nights, but I think our four lines have contributed by practicing the style we want to play.
Travis Green, Canucks Head Coach