Have you ever imagined to what extent the Canadian would already be somewhere else if Kent Hughes had arrived a year earlier?
The playoff run in 2021 was unforgettable, with the overtime goal at the Fête Nationale that propelled CH to the Stanley Cup Final, the brilliance of Carey and Shea Weber dominating while he was injured all over.
But of course, even die-hard Habs fans will admit it was an illusion. It was so close and yet so far. Tampa Bay didn’t have to try too hard to win in the final five games. The Canadian won 24 of his 56 games this season.
In short, no, the team wasn’t going in the right direction, even though that playoff magic might suggest it.
run away
And Marc Bergevin knew that this magic would not be repeated so easily. He knew Weber and Carey were leaving.
In order not to destroy the fans’ hopes and save his job, he was too excited in the offseason.
Joel Armia was coming off a seven-goal season but had been outstanding in the playoffs. So: $13.6 million over four years.
It was an offense, and when no one wanted to tackle Mike Hoffman, Bergevin wanted offensive talent and gave him $13.5 million for three years.
The Hurricanes stole Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Phillip Danault signed with the Kings, and Bergevin was left adrift. So the general manager rushed to find a center for his top six, and we ended up with Christian Dvorak, against a first- and second-round pick. It was his last transaction with the Canadian. Unfortunately, Dvorak is not in the top six.
And in his senior year, Bergevin also donated $38.5 million over five years to Josh Anderson and $39 million over six years to Brendan Gallagher.
No, Marc Bergevin wasn’t bad in his final year full-time. He agreed on a long-term agreement with future captain Nick Suzuki, offered David Savard a contract and agreed to Arber Xhekaj.
A completely different club
Hypothetically: What would the team look like today if Kent Hughes had arrived before the 2020-21 season?
I love Gallagher, but if management had a choice between him and Danault, I think Hughes is pretty sure he would have chosen Danault, especially at a million dollars less.
If Marc Bergevin hadn’t sent Hurricanes management into disarray with his hostile bid for Sebastian Aho in 2019, the hostile bid for Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2021 would most likely never have happened.
After scoring one goal in 26 games in Columbus, Josh Anderson might not have received a big five-year contract.
And Joel Armia would never have gotten a long-term contract for that much money as teams look for payroll flexibility.
A top six
The CH would therefore team up with Suzuki, Caufield, Dach, Danault, Kotkaniemi, Newhook and Monahan to try and form a top six.
There is no need to put an Anderson, a Dvorak or a Slafkovsky in the first two lines. We’ve seen him even better in the last two games. If it can hold its own defensively, it is the lack of offensive creativity in the front two lines that is breaking the CH. Anderson, Dvorak and Slafko work hard, but they can’t play on the front two lines. Too often, they disrupt their club’s big offensive breakthroughs by making poor decisions with the puck.
But if Hughes had arrived earlier, Slafkovsky certainly wouldn’t be there, as the Canadian wouldn’t have been doing so badly two years ago and wouldn’t have had such a good choice. Not last year either.
What’s even more interesting is that with these better decisions we would be deducting $10.95 million per year in salaries (Anderson, Armia and the difference between Gallagher and Danault). That’s a pretty good check to sign a big player, say, to lead the power play at the blue line.
That’s a lot of ifs. But the CH would be somewhere else. It’s clear.