If you’re a Montreal Canadiens fan, you might be wondering why Marc Bergevin is still able to hang around.  The GM has been calling the shots for eight seasons now, and some are beginning to wonder if he has overstayed his welcome.  The Canadiens were expected to start this year strong, but have continued to provide only lackluster performances.

Another Quiet Canadiens Trade Deadline

Just like a year ago, Bergevin was quiet and didn’t really show a lot of interest in switching the roster around when the trade deadline was approaching this time, and, with the team missing the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, perhaps he has run out of steam.

The trade deadline saw 32 trades, with others still trickling in.  The Nashville Predators also didn’t make much of a shuffle, only trading Matt Irwin and a sixth-round draft pick for Korbinian Holzer of the Anaheim Ducks.  GM David Poile made it clear why he didn’t seek other deals, telling the media that the “team was playing well enough.”  The team is currently fourth in the Central Division with an unimpressive 70 points.  Currently, the Predators are, at best, looking at a possible wild card entry into the playoffs.

More Trade Deadline News

Like the quiet Canadiens, The Dallas Stars also avoided any major trade deadline changes this past Monday for pretty much the same reason as Poile gave.  However, the difference is that the Stars are second in the Central Division and have much better odds at a run on the Stanley Cup.  GM Jim Nill could afford to be a little more choosy.

A Zamboni driver, David Ayres, stepped down from the machine this past Saturday to play for the Carolina Hurricanes.  Perhaps because the Canes went on to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 with Ayres as goalie, the league is now showing a renewed interest in establishing more concrete rules for backup goalie situations.  Ayres should probably be signed to the squad, or at least get a medal, as he made eight saves while on the ice, but NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly thinks it might be time to make a rule change.  Of course, the same thing has been said every year, so perhaps it won’t happen, after all.

Alex Ovechkin has to be feeling good about himself and his position with the Washington Capitals.  This past Saturday, while facing off against the New Jersey Devils, the winger and captain let a shot fly in the third period and watched as it sailed into the net.  Any other time, this would be just another goal, but this one marked number 700 for the player, a feat that has only been accomplished by seven other players.  If he can rack up nine more, he’ll be in seventh place on the all-time goal list.

The Devils are trying to teach John Hayden how to handle finesse on the ice.  The center got a little carried away during last night’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings, delivering a massive cross-check to the face of Tyler Bertuzzi.  Hayden’s lucky, though.  Because of the current collective bargaining agreement, the NHL couldn’t slap him with a huge fine.  The maximum allowed, per the CBA, is $2,016.13, and that’s what he’s going to have to pay.  On a two-year, $1.5-million contract, that’s barely going to make a dent.

Doug Armstrong, the GM for the St. Louis Blues, knows how to spend money appropriately.  The team had been looking at trying to pick up New York Rangers winger Chris Kreider, but, due to the return of Vladimir Tarasenko, Armstrong decided to hold off.  However, under different circumstances, he would have had no difficulty breaking out the checkbook, especially because it doesn’t belong to him.

When asked about Kreider in a press conference, he asserted, “The interest level waned quite honestly when we knew [Tarasenko] was coming back. In a different world if I was managing the St. Louis Blues in the late-90s, yeah we would have been really interested. It’s only the owner’s money and I wouldn’t care about it.”