Canadiens to bring back Therrien, don’t intend to trade Subban
Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said coach Michel Therrien will return next season and that the team’s “intention” is to not trade defenseman P.K. Subban.
This ended speculation of immediate wholesale changes for the franchise after missing the playoffs this season.
“Nobody is walking away with a clean slate, but we have to break down in pieces during the season,” Bergevin told reporters at a news conference with Therrien and owner Geoff Molson. “We’re not happy and it’s my job to address the team moving forward, but Michel will be behind the bench opening night.”
Added Bergevin about Subban, “My intention is not to trade P.K. Subban. P.K. Subban is a big part of this team, we have a lot of good players on this team obviously, missing (goaltender) Carey (Price) was obvious but P.K. Subban is an elite defenseman in this league.”
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The Canadiens started the year an NHL record 9-0-0 but swooned badly after they lost Price to a knee injury in November. Montreal finished the year 38-38-6 with 82 points. A year ago, Price won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.
As the Canadiens fell in the standings, there were rumors that the team would part ways with Therrien and deal Subban. There was also talk of a rift between Therrien and Subban, especially after Therrien called out Subban following a February loss at the Colorado Avalanche.
All parties tried to put that speculation to rest.
“I love working with P.K. Subban. He’s passionate and a hard worker,” Therrien said.
Earlier in the year, Subban donated $10 million to Montreal Children’s Hospital and has been an important part of the community for the last several seasons.
“Marc explained very clearly where we stand with P.K. and as it relates to your comment about off the ice,” Molson said. “Everything he’s done to have an impact in the community has been wonderful and we haven’t seen a player make such a big commitment in the history of our team and we’re fully behind him on that.”
Bergevin pointed out that he wasn’t looking to “panic” and “change everything.”
“Am I trying to move P.K. Subban? No. Am I trying to move Carey Price? No. Am I trying to move Max Pacioretty? No. Is my job to make this team better? Yes. To move any of these guys, it would have to be something very special,” Bergevin said. “As a hockey man, I’m going to have to look at all my options, but is that reality? Probably not. But if I don’t look at all my options like any other players, I’m not doing my job as a GM.”
Bergevin also pointed out that initially he was told Price would be out six weeks with a sprained MCL suffered in late November. Instead he missed the remainder of the NHL’s regular season.
Bergevin said he didn’t look to add a goaltender initially based off the shorter timeline. And then when it appeared Price would be out longer, the market wasn’t appetizing.
“There was nothing that was telling me, ‘you know what Marc? You need to get a goalie.’ And when it started slipping away a bit, I made some calls like I always do and at the time, what was available – talking to my hockey men, talking to Stephane Waite, who I believe is the top goaltending coach in the NHL, what was available was not an upgrade on what we had,” Bergevin said.
When asked about smaller changes, like assistant coaches, Bergevin noted the team would probably have made the playoffs with a healthy Price.
The year before, the Habs held the second-best regular season record in the NHL with mostly the same roster. The only real difference was Price’s injury.
“I believe with a healthy Carey Price, we’re not siting here today and we don’t have this conversation,” he said.
Added Bergevin, “To start throwing people out the door after what happened this year? I’m not ready to do that.”
Bergevin also backed Pacioretty as team captain. This was Pacioretty’s first year in that role.
“I know Max is a smart man. I believe he cares. I know he cares, and I believe he’s going to grow from this and he’ll become a better captain,” Bergevin said. “There’s not a booklet that comes with the captaincy. His teammates chose him for a reason and what we experienced this year as a team – it was new for us, but it was also new for a new captain.”
The next step for Bergevin is the NHL Draft lottery in late April. The Canadiens are currently slated to draft ninth unless they move up. Bergevin said he didn’t believe a player in this draft would help immediately for next season.
As far as improvements during the offseason, Bergevin said his team scored more goals this season than last season. If defense was the problem, Price’s injury was a major factor, but he believed he could still use some offense.
“There’s a lot of needs. Every team in the league needs, you mention scoring. There’s not one GM in the NHL who says, ‘I have too much scoring,’” Bergevin said.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
