The 15 significant revelations of Marc Bergevin, finally breaking his silence

For the first time since his dismissal three years ago, Marc Bergevin granted an interview to a member of the press. During a generous interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the former general manager of the Montreal Canadiens made several confidences and revelations.

Here is what TVASports.ca took away. You can read the full article here.

• Bergevin appreciates the tranquility of his new life in Los Angeles, where he goes unnoticed. “You can go to Starbucks without anyone knowing who you are.”
• He had received a contract extension offer from Geoff Molson when the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. An offer he declined because it was time for him to move on. “Geoff got that.”
• COVID ended up getting the better of him. A year passed, practically, without him being able to see his children. “COVID has tested me, mentally.”
• He admits to having lost his color and the sense of humor which characterized him at the end of his reign. “You’re more defensive, for fear of escaping.”
• He prides himself on winning a lot of small trades, an art that Rick Dudley passed on to him. “We hit a lot of singles.”
• He regrets the episode of the hostile offer submitted to Sebastian Aho. He would have opted for a different structure, in hindsight.
• Bergevin had discussions with the Hurricanes about trading Jesperi Kotkaniemi at the time, but Don Waddell didn’t want to trade Seth Jarvis in return.
• He returned to the decision to prefer Kotkaniemi over Brady Tkachuk in the 2018 draft. “Brady had a difficult season with Boston University, he hadn’t scored for a long time. Skating was a problem. In Montreal, everyone wanted Zadina, Zadina, Zadina, because he played in the QMJHL. Obviously, looking back today, you would say: well yes, Tkachuk.
• He did not want to dwell on the selection of Logan Mailloux, but was delighted with the fact that “the young man did what was necessary to get a second chance”.
• He believes he left good pieces for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton to rebuild. “I’m proud that I never traded my first-round pick when I was here [le seul choix de premier tour qu’il a échangé était celui des Hurricanes, NDLR].»
• He defends the contract extension granted to Brendan Gallagher. “He was coming off three 30-goal seasons. It pays for itself. All DGs sometimes give one or two years too long.”
• Ditto for that granted to Carey Price. “We had to put him under contract. No one could predict the injuries, not even Price himself.
• He travels a lot for the Kings. Last week, he attended meetings in Vegas, Philadelphia and Utah.
• Rob Blake calls him “an incredible addition” to his team. “The Kings wanted a different perspective,” explained Bergevin to justify his hiring.
• He would like to become a GM again one day after landing interviews with the Maple Leafs, Penguins and Blue Jackets. “I think I did a good enough job in Montreal to get another chance. But this decision is not mine. I haven’t stopped working for a second since I was fired. I stayed on the lookout for the game and the players.”

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