A colossal decision by Marc Bergevin has been widely questioned
This past off-season, the Montreal Canadiens underwent a wave of roster changes. There were many departures through the free agency, including Phillip Danault, Tomas Tatar, Corey Perry and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
However, surprisingly, the departure that caused the most impact was the one of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Remember that the Hurricanes offered him a generous one-season contract worth $6.1 million. Marc Bergevin had been inclined to let him go to Carolina, instead of matching the offer.
Shortly after KK's departure, the Habs gave Nick Suzuki an eight-year contract extension worth $7.875 million. That's a lot of money for a player who hasn't achieved any consistency in the NHL.
Journalist Eric Macramalla then wondered if Marc Bergevin made a desperate move with the Habs long-term signing of number 14. Maybe he was afraid of suffering the same fate as with the Kotkaniemi deal?
Several people have responded to this question on Macramalla's post and the result seems to be unanimous: according to Brendan Kelly and Carlo Colaiacovo, Marc Bergevin made a hasty "move".
"Too much money for too long. Another panic move for Bergevin. He must have been afraid of losing him, like he lost Kotkaniemi," said Brendan Kelly, reporter for The Gazette.
Former NHL defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo was of the same opinion...
It's way too early in my opinion to judge this contract, Suzuki is on the rise. However, Marc Bergevin has made several other obvious panic moves, including Christian Dvorak, Mike Hoffman and Karl Alzner, only to name a few...
