Canadiens Confirm: No Marc Bergevin Extension This Season

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | Last updated 10/7/21

It didn’t get a lot of attention in a media conference that was mostly geared towards talking about Carey Price and his stepping away from the Montreal Canadiens to enter the NHL’s assistance program and deal with some mental health issues, but there was talk about Marc Bergevin’s future with the organization. Needless to say, there are a lot of questions unanswered coming out of that presser and many are wondering if the signs are pointing to him moving on at the end of the season.

I supposed it could be called “minor” news, but Bergevin will not be negotiating an extension during the 2021-22 season with the Canadiens. This is his last year under his current contract as GM of the club and when asked about his future, he responded, “The rest is business as usual. It is what it is. I do my job the best I can, and always did. Nothing changes. There’s no distraction here.”

Multiple outlets are reporting that Bergevin will spend the entire 2021-2022 season on an expiring contract. The team confirmed that they will not negotiate during the season and there will be no updates on his position as GM until the end of the season. The feeling from this announcement seems to be that there’s time to do an extension in June if both sides wish, but this is the first hint he’s likely going to be moving on to a different organization.

There have been rumors that the native Montrealer has considering making a change. He’s been running the Canadiens since the spring of 2012 and over his nine-season run with the Habs, the club has won three division titles, made the playoffs on six occasions, and reached the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.

Changing Of An Era In Montreal?

If he does move on, it will be the changing of an era in Montreal and it will be interesting to see what other changes are made to the roster should he go. He built his team a certain way and it’s not clear if another GM will want to keep this roster together or try to make changes.

He’s been a controversial GM at times, but he’s also well known as a players’ GM, one who greatly cares about his roster. One need look no further than today’s press conference when he got choked up talking about Carey Price and his willingness to admit he was dealing with mental health issues.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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