Well this was long overdue.

https://www.nhl.com/canadiens/news/hockey-management-changes-within-the-montreal-canadiens-organization/c-328427508

I mean let's face it - Marc Bergevin has been the GM for the better part of 10 years - what is his legacy?

One (fluke) Stanley Cup Final run in 2021 - the 2nd such run over the last 30 years. Yes they beat the teams they weren't expected to beat, but they never faced many others, nor did they really have a chance against the defending champs.

But getting back to my diatribe ...

Yes he brought in same good players. Yes he's made some controversial - and even questionable - draft choices.

And as Brian Wilde put it, he had some really flawed ways of looking at defensemen ...

Bergevin has never been in the sweepstakes for a blue line puck-mover. He just does not value them. He values who he was as a defender. Bergevin had a long and successful career where he took care of his own end and offered absolutely nothing at the other end of the ice — just like he likes them.

This is never going to change. He will continue to make this blunder. Five years for Alzner; four years for Savard. As much as Bergevin does make good trades, and he does well in contract negotiations, he cannot build a team because he does not value this absolutely vital defender.

Got that right - had he not heard of Doug Harvey?

Granted he's made the same mistakes the last few GMs have made and never invested in a strong sniper who can be counted on the put the puck in the net when called upon. And while the odds of the Habs drafting Guy Lafleur 2.0 are next-to-nil in this day and age, one would think plotting to find them in other teams would be a top priority. That and having playmakers for such a skilled goal scorer would help.

But I honestly think he was really banking on the Habs actually winning the Cup to ensure a contract extension at the end of this year. And he had no real Plan B when that didn't work out. I mean when your captain/top defender and award-winning goaltender go down with injuries (the former is likely permanent, and the latter yet to play a game this season), and you don't really have a strong defensive core to both clear their zone and set up your forwards, you have a season like you have now, which is the worst start in the team's long history.

This season is a loss. Better to start over and really overhaul the team. It may result in some really painful and tough decisions. And to be fair, there is a core of really good players there. 

Time will tell whether the Molson Family truly values winning a Stanley Cup over simply making money year after year.