Jeff Gorton has to fix a HUGE mistake by Marc Bergevin
At the end of the 2016-2017 season, Marc Bergevin cleaned up the Habs defensive squad.
Andrei Markov, Mikhail Sergachev and Alexei Emelin were all sent to other skies. It's okay to make changes, it's part of hockey. However, there is a way to do it in my opinion, especially when you think of Andrei Markov.
The former number 79 of the Habs spent about 16 years of his career in the Red, White, and Blue uniform, which is no small feat. He accumulated no less than 572 points in 990 games with the Canadiens. It's safe to say that he is one of the best defensemen in the Montreal Canadiens' rich history.
Due to contractual disagreements in 2017, Marc Bergevin had decided to let him go on the free agent market. From what we can deduce, the organization under Bergevin's leadership did not try to retain him more than it had to, which is a crime in my opinion, considering the services rendered.
In addition to throwing him in the garbage like a piece of trash, the organization never bothered to highlight the career of the Russian athlete. Maybe the team won't retire his number, but it could definitely organize a big ceremony to highlight the prestigious career of the Habs sixth round pick in 1998. Remember that the Habs had done the same thing for Saku Koivu a few years earlier.
This is a great opportunity for the new management to rectify the situation with Andrei Markov. The 43-year-old is retired since April 2020, so it might be time for Geoff Molson and/or Jeff Gorton to give him a call to fix what Bergevin did.
By doing so, the organization will be able to restore its image a bit. It's a must, as they say.
