Marc Bergevin, as you may know, opened up to Pierre LeBrun, of The Athletic.
Three years after losing his job (a job he no longer wanted, according to what he said), he agreed to talk about several subjects that marked his time (which he loved) as GM of the Canadiens .
And the lot? The hostile offers file with the Hurricanes.
What you need to know is that with hindsight, he would make the hostile offer to Sebastian Aho differently. He thought the big bonuses would be too much for the Hurricanes and they would be forced to let him go.
It didn’t work. And ultimately, it became a good contract for the Canes.
I learned my lesson, honestly. – Marc Bergevin
This inevitably leads us to Jesperi Kotkaniemi. After all, it was for revenge that the Hurricanes offered $6.1 million over one year to KK, in order to bring him to Carolina to sign him, subsequently, a bigger contract – but at a lower price per year .
And it’s not because he scored his third goal of the season yesterday that CH is bored.
Listening to Bergevin talk, the decision not to keep Kotkaniemi was obvious. After all, the GM didn’t think the player was worth $6.1M… and he wouldn’t have signed long-term with the CH, he who wanted a change of scenery.
Letting him go made sense.
Remember that KK accepted a year at a high price knowing that he would sign for a longer term at a lower price. It was a strategy to get him out of Montreal with a high salary average and he would not have signed these contracts elsewhere.
Note also that the CH tried to negotiate a transaction instead of a hostile offer, but the Canes did not want to let Seth Jarvis go.
It’s a big part of Marc Bergevin’s legacy. And besides, contrary to what many people think, he does not consider having left the Canadian in a bad state by leaving.
He said in particular that he had left many choices to the new administration.
I didn’t leave the franchise in bad shape. – Marc Bergevin
Since he left, Marc Bergevin has attracted criticism from many people. And even if it is not surprising to see him defend his record with Pierre LeBrun, the fact remains that it is true that he has done good.
It’s not as rosy as he thinks, but it’s not as dark as some people think either.
In burst
– Ouch.
– Oh.
– Is his future in Toronto?
– Things are going bad for the Islanders.
– Rocket defeat yesterday.
– Chris Kreider: a trade this summer is more likely.
