Pokecheque wrote:
Habs appear to be trending upward but I still don’t quite know what Bergevin’s plan is.
That's really been the whole problem this time. He makes solid trades in a vacuum, but he doesn't decisively pull the trigger when it's time to compete and doesn't tear down when it's time to rebuild. He's pissed away 21M in cap space or so the last three seasons, letting it go unused.
We can get into the errors of the past, but this year Bergevin has been blessed with a new set of downs and another opportunity to either go for it short-term or pick up long-term pieces.
In a year, Gallagher, Danault, Tatar, Petry and Armia are all UFAs. We know they won't all be back, there's no way to afford them all. So if you're going to hang on to them, you better go all out this offseason so you're competitive. That means spending to the cap and adding talent. Otherwise, trade the guys who won't stay (Tatar, Armia?) for long-term cost certainty.
You now have two centres penciled in with Suzuki and Kotkaniemi. Get consistent wingers to skate with them.
Based on the playoffs, they may want to keep the top 4 on D with Chiarot-Weber, Kulak-Petry. If it ain't broke! Romanov, Juulsen, Fleury will compete for the last two spots, so add a powerplay specialist (Gustafsson?) to round it out. Bergy loves depth, won't be afraid to block a kid and force them to play their way on.
Buyout Alzner. Burns you one season then three more with a small hit.
Get a backup for Carey take XVI.
They couldn't break the Flyers trap for one reason only: not enough talent to bust through a solid defence. Add some talent to play with Suzuki and Kotkaniemi and I think the team will get better in a hurry.