Marc Bergevin self-flagellated about Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Marc Bergevin delivered a press conference today about the Jesperi Kotkaniemi saga and the arrival of Christian Dvorak. The Canadiens' general manager made several interesting statements during the event.
The 56-year-old admitted that he was wrong, especially regarding the development of Jesperi Kotkaniemi, while mentioning that the player had his share of responsibilities in this story. If he had it to do over again, he would have sent Jesperi Kotkaniemi back to Finland to continue his development. Still according to him, the Canadiens would have given KK the necessary tools to develop properly.
Marc Bergevin discussed the Hurricanes' offer sheet in itself, saying that he wasn't surprised that Carolina made an offer, but he was surprised by the amount. He even said that the one-year, $6.1 million contract was really out of line for the Hurricanes.
In all of this, however, the pressure aspect weighed heavily in this decision. With such a lucrative contract, perhaps KK would have been mentally affected on the ice with such a big deal in hand. This is an aspect that Marc Bergevin looked at in depth.
On several occasions, Bergevin pointed to the lack of maturity in young players, which could have affected KK's perception of his game and understanding of his development.
On the subject of Christian Dvorak, Marc Bergevin is extremely excited about the arrival of the center. In him, the Canadiens' GM sees a player who will have a big impact on the Montreal team. He will replace Phillip Danault, according to Bergevin.
