Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Quietly, we shouldn’t overlook the role played by Marc Bergevin in the current success of the Montreal Canadiens.
The former general manager of the Montreal Canadiens completely changed the face of the franchise at that draft.
On Tuesday night, Cole Caufield reached the 40-goal mark in an overtime win against the Boston Bruins (and he’s already up to 43).
Head coach Martin St-Louis described that matchup as the most important game of the year to secure points in the standings.
Reaching the 40-goal milestone hadn’t been done by a Canadiens player since the 1993-1994 season with Vincent Damphousse.
Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin made an excellent decision with the 15th overall pick in that NHL draft.
Seeing Cole Caufield fall to that position was a huge surprise for the Montreal Canadiens’ management.
Right on the draft floor, the phone rang with a very specific offer from the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Vegas Golden Knights wanted to draft Cole Caufield, according to multiple sources
The opposing executives offered their 17th pick and a third-round selection just to move up two spots.
Trevor Timmins and Marc Bergevin categorically refused to pass up the opportunity to draft Cole Caufield with that first-round pick.
Marc Bergevin quickly declined the trade offer to keep his original position and announce the selection.
Accepting that deal would most likely have sent Cole Caufield to continue his career with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ultimately, the Vegas Golden Knights had to turn to center Peyton Krebs with their selection.
Peyton Krebs later became the main return in the trade involving Jack Eichel with the Buffalo Sabres a few years later.
Redoing that draft today would undoubtedly place Cole Caufield among the top five picks overall.
That’s an excellent decision.
Cole Caufield, 25, has recorded 293 points in 355 career games. The 5-foot-8 forward was selected 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
Peyton Krebs, 25, has recorded 127 points in 366 career games. The 6-foot forward was selected 17th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
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Revisiting the trade Marc Bergevin rejected that changed the face of the Canadiens forever
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