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While the future is looking brighter with young stars like Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi shining during the postseason, this isn’t really progress for Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin, who has now been on the job for eight years. The fact remains the Canadiens should have missed the postseason for the third straight season and they still haven’t won a single playoff series in five years.
This is the Montreal Canadiens we’re talking about, winners of a record 24 Stanley Cups. They need to get better — much better — if they want to win a 25th. The bar also has to be set higher than Bergevin’s “let’s try to make the playoffs and then anything can happen with Carey Price.”
The last two times, that “anything” was a first-round playoff exit despite outstanding performances by Price. Against the Rangers three years ago, Price had a 1.86 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. Against the Flyers this year he was even better, with a 1.78 GAA and a .936 save percentage. But it was the same end result both times.
This was also a unique postseason when players had an almost five-month break before the games started and everyone was healthy, not limping into the playoffs following the usual grind of an 82-game season. That definitely worked in the Canadiens’ favour, but that won’t happen again in the future whenever the NHL — and the world — hopefully regains some form of normalcy after COVID-19.
This historic Canadiens franchise can’t continue to put a roster on the ice each season that is millions of dollars below the NHL salary cap and expect to win. That’s extra money in owner Geoff Molson’s pocket, but frustrated fans must certainly want more than a hard-fought loss in the first round of the playoffs.
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August 23, 2020 at 12:38AM
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Stu Cowan: Canadiens' first-round exit shouldn't really be celebrated - Montreal Gazette
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