What on Earth Is Marc Bergevin Thinking?

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What on earth is Marc Bergevin thinking? With the Montreal Canadiens dropping further in the standings and the goal scoring virtually non-existent, the most logical step seemed to be to find more scoring from outside the organization. But Bergevin surprised everyone by trading sparsely used defenceman Jarred Tinordi and minor leaguer Stefan Fournier to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for enforcer John Scott and defenceman Stefan Elliott. Elliott would then be flipped to the Nashville Predators for defenceman Victor Bartley.

Tinordi out, Scott and Bartley In

It was no secret that Tinordi no longer had a future in Montreal as he only played three NHL games this season, sitting in favour of Greg Pateryn and Mark Barberio. He needed a chance to start over and he will get that chance with a young Arizona team. A former first round pick in 2010 at 22nd overall, Tinordi never really found his footing with Montreal.

However, acquiring Scott and Bartley just doesn’t make any sense. Scott is regarded as one of the worst players in the league and his being named captain for the NHL All-Star game was a joke that prompted the league to change its rules on voting in players. He is one of the few remaining enforcers in the game and no longer warrants a spot in the “new” NHL.

As for Bartley, he is a depth defenceman and not much more. He has played most of the season in the AHL, mostly due to the plethora of talented defencemen in Nashville. However, it’s the same in Montreal with Pateryn sitting most nights and with Tom Gilbert set to return to action, Barberio could come out in favour of Gilbert.

The real problem

With Scott off to the AHL and Bartley joining the Habs, it does nothing to solve Montreal’s current problem: goal scoring. This team has struggled to score for years and Bergevin has done next to nothing to solve it. He acquired Michael Ryder but he was never going to be a long term solution. Ditto for Thomas Vanek. Alexander Semin and Zack Kassian were busts while Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak are a few years away.

The lack of scoring is holding this team back and there is no excuse why they aren’t putting the puck in the net. Carey Price gives this team confidence but he can’t score goals. Daniel Carr, one of the few players giving a consistent effort and scoring goals was sent down to the AHL. Head coach Michel Therrien is one of the reasons why this team is slumping but the players have to take responsibility too.

What next Marc?

Bergevin may have another move up his sleeve but for right now, this move is confusing and unnecessary. Enforcers are a thing of the past while the Habs already have a long jam on defence and adding Bartley just adds to it. The Habs need help scoring and Price’s return won’t solve that problem. This “slump” is not just on Therrien and the players anymore. Bergevin is responsible for this as well and he needs to make a move that actually helps the team. Minor league trades aren’t going to cut it anymore. Time to stop the bleeding.