Don’t expect the Montreal Canadiens to make drastic changes or spur-of-the-moment decisions despite his team coming out of the gates poorly to start the 2021-22 NHL season. The Habs have not been good and there’s already concern despite the fact the season is still relatively young.
Bergevin spoke at an impromptu media availability on Wednesday and after his team’s 0-4 start. Among the topics he discussed was whether or not he wanted a new contract with the team as the GM, if he thought Shea Weber would ever be back in the NHL and how he’ll respond to a disastrous start to this current campaign after going to the Stanley Cup Final last year.
Noting that “We’re not playing in sync,” he added that the team isn’t offering proper puck support and playing too tight. The team has already started to snowball a little and the team has to outwork this early slump. He noted “they have to find a way to dig deep” and find a way without making excuses.
Apparently, that means not going outside the organization to find that help. That might be the first reaction for a team that absolutely wants to get back to the playoffs and took some offseason hits to the roster. Bergevin is going to show patience. It will be intriguing to see how long it lasts.
Four consecutive losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, and San Jose Sharks isn’t as big an issue as the fact the Canadiens have only scored one goal or less in each game. Again, Bergevin isn’t going to panic. “I don’t feel the need. It has nothing to do with cap space, it has to do with the group we have,” he contended. “I do like our team, there are some pretty good hockey players … they are not playing up to their potential. And until they do there’s nothing that I’m gonna do to make a change just to make a change. Change a fourth-line player just to say I’m making a change? I don’t believe in that.”
Bergevin is known to be patient during the season. Last year the team struggled during the year despite being considered a heavy favorite based on massive adds the GM did. Eventually, that paid off and in the postseason Montreal went on a run.
Can the same approach work this year? The good news is the team will play 82 games and not 56. As a result, a four-game losing streak puts the Habs behind the 8-ball, but it doesn’t crush their season.
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