Pat Hickey: Chiarot of Canadiens, Drouin regret firing Bergevin

“Berge believed in me,” says Chiarot, adding that the former Habs general manager helped him “take the next step … the player I am now.”

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Canadiens defender Ben Chiarot said we will miss fired general manager Marc Bergevin because his experience as a player allowed him to bond with his players.

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“Berge brought us all here, he built this team and it’s a team that went to the final of the Stanley Cup,” Chiarot said Tuesday. “He was part of something very special last spring and it’s obviously not easy to see that person go.”

Chiarot said he has grown as a player since leaving the Winnipeg Jets and signing as a free agent with the Canadiens in 2019, and Bergevin was a big part of that growth.

“Berge believed in me,” Chiarot said. “He signed me in free agency and believed in me as the player I could be. He helped my career not only by bringing me here, but he was always around every day and whether the team was up or down he would come and tell you what he saw. He’s a guy who played the game for a long time. He played a game similar to the way I play and it has been huge in my career, helping me take the next step from what I was doing before to the player I am now.

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“Berge and the coaching staff showed a lot of confidence and faith in me, giving me a lot of time on the ice, just giving me a lot of confidence. It was something new for me in my career, to have that kind of opportunity and I took it. The player you see is very different from the one who arrived here ”.

Bergevin was a victim of “what have you done for me lately?” syndrome. He and owner Geoff Molson bargained over the length of an extension and Bergevin’s situation became untenable when the Canadiens began the season with a 6-16-2 record, the worst start in team history.

The chances of teaming up to capture a playoff spot are as remote as Major League Baseball’s return to Montreal, and Molson suggested a major rebuild was possible.

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But Chiarot believes that while the team that reached the Cup final has lost some key pieces, forgot to mention Phillip Danault along with Carey Price and Shea Weber, there is still a “big part” of the team that made it to the final and there is a lot of character in the room.

Whether the Canadiens call it a rebuild, a remodel or an adjustment, there will be changes as Montreal becomes a seller on the trade deadline and Chiarot knows he could be on the move because he is in the final season of a contract with a maximum cap. of US $ 3.5 million. It will attract the attention of opposing teams that need help in defense.

“Every year, rates are traded on expiring contracts,” Chiarot said. “It’s not something I have any control over. I do my job and I go out to play, and the people who make those decisions make those decisions. “

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Chiarot, who has a young family, said that exchanges are more difficult for families because they are the ones who are uprooted. You have some control because it has a modified no-trade clause that allows you to submit a list of 10 places you don’t want to play.

Jonathan Drouin also said that he would miss Bergevin.

“When you fire a CEO or a coach, it also has to do with playing on ice,” Drouin said. “It is difficult for the players to accept. Marc did an excellent job. Every summer, the equipment improved. I have enormous respect for him, for his team management. No matter the individual or group situations, it was amazing here. It’s going to be hard not to see him in the sand. “

Drouin said he was grateful to Bergevin and Molson for their support when dealing with anxiety issues this year. He said he was happy to hear about Molson’s plan to integrate mental health into the team’s medical protocol. She sought help after overcoming denial that she had a problem.

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Speaking of medical issues, defender Joel Edmundson is no closer to returning to the lineup than he was last week.

Edmundson, who has yet to play this season due to back problems, joined the Canadiens on their three-game road trip last week. He practiced with the team, but did not receive authorization for contact.

Edmundson saw a doctor Monday night and took a day of therapy on Tuesday. The team said he would be re-evaluated this week, which means his return is on hold again.

Mike Hoffman has been out of the game twice this season with a bad back, but he’s been skating and the team hopes he’s practicing for the weekend.

There are no updates on Carey Price. The team says it is making progress, but it did not skate Tuesday.

And finally some good news: defender Chris Wideman (upper body injury) and forward Mathieu Perreault (eye surgery) have been updated day by day. They practiced Tuesday in non-contact shirts.

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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