It’s over. And while Habs management claims no stone will be left unturned in looking to see what happened this season, apparently one option that will not be explored is the firing of any coach, at any level (except for Craig Ramsay). So today we ask our esteemed panel what they make of the Canadiens’ end of season press conference. 

Sean (@TheONeillFactor) – When things go wrong in Montreal they tend to go *really wrong; if the Centennial Season was Exhibit 1A in how to fail to meet high-expectations, this year was Exhibit 1B.

So how to react to such an unacceptable, unequivocal disaster? Do you fire the coach who could no longer hide his roster mismanagement and tactical errors behind his goaltenders brilliance? Do you accept some blame for assembling a team that is high on untalented character players, but relatively low on mid-level talent? Do you pull Max Pacioretty off of his Kennebunkport yacht and explain the concept of leadership to him?

Nope – you start publically shopping your most talented and charismatic skater, who also happens to be one of the five best defenceman on planet earth.

We’re fucked. We’re all fucked.

Kyle (@kyleroussel) – I thought it was a catastrophic failure. Total, utter cafouillage, as Pierre Houde might say.

In a session where the least you could do is relieve fan trepidation that the team’s best skater and most loved player will not be traded, Bergevin punted on the opportunity many times. You shouldn’t even hint at a Subban trade unless and until you get the offer that blows your doors off. That was the least they could have done instead of doubling down on literally every single bozo in the coaching staff at both the NHL and AHL levels. Horrific.

Two hours prior to the post-mortem, Molson’s ill-conceived letter to the fans said that no stone would be unturned in the search for solutions. Then, Bergevin stated that there’d be no changes in the coaching staff anywhere, save for Craig Ramsay not being back. Call me crazy, but either there were very few stones to turn over, or they are ULTRA MEGA FANTASTIC at turning over stones. To come out so quickly and state that the coaching staff is safe on the heels of Molson’s letter was stupid. When you go through the process of elimination, it means that if the coaches aren’t to be changed, then the players will be. And when you consider that they wouldn’t protect Subban to the extent that Therrien & friends are protected, it’s going to lead to panic. But then Bergevin said that he can’t make trades because they’re too hard.

So let’s get this right: The coaches are safe, trades for impact players are nearly impossible, and drafting takes time. So how do you fix the problems? Reading between the lines of this presser, what they’re really saying is that Price’s injury is responsible for the whole season going down the drain (despite Molson’s letter stating that many factors went in to the slide). Wow. What stunning arrogance. What a slap in the face to the fans. I’m not a season ticket holder, but I can’t wait for the day where these people get their renewal letters + a 15% increase in prices. It’s coming. Are they serious? They went from first to worst in the span of 2 months because one very important player went down? I’m sorry, that’s not right. We deserved real answers today, not bullshit, smoke & mirrors and deflections.

The Habs deserve every bit of scorn, frustration and vitriol thrown at them today. They deserve it, frankly.

Ian (@ihabs1995) – I can honestly say that this is the first time I have felt a lack of faith in management. I did not particularly like a single answer given at the postseason presser, and a lack of accountability in the Habs brass is incredibly upsetting to see. I don’t like Marc Bergevin complaining that making trades is hard. We’ve seen you absolutely rob the New York Islanders of Thomas Vanek and the Edmonton Oilers of Jeff Petry. You have already proven it can be done, so go do it.

Tony Marinaro of TSN690 asked about the powerplay and the deployment of Alex Galchenyuk and got stock responses. That is catastrophically frustrating. It’s a sign that the management thinks fans are stupid. “We don’t want to give you the right answer, so we’ll feed you this nonsense to avoid any problems.” Bergevin, Therrien and Molson have doubled down and have handicapped the success of the team for the foreseeable future.

One area I think people need to relax in, however, is the PK Subban trade watch. It isn’t happening. Period. Bergevin has not said he’s being shopped. This is where fans need to take a second and check themselves. We all cry out for this organization to be straight forward with their responses, as we should. Management needs to be more transparent going forward. However, when it comes to PK Subban, Bergevin was about as transparent as he can get. “Am I looking to trade Subban? No. Am I actively shopping Subban? No.”

What’s the point of clamoring for organizational transparency when Bergevin finally says something of substance and is as transparent as he possibly can be, and you don’t believe him? That’s on you.

I work at a library, and the other day a man refused to leave at closing because he insisted the library was open 24 hours. Our security guard pointed him to several signs stating that we closed the library at eleven. Even then, the degenerate library goer insisted that the sign was not an accurate depiction of our hours. This is what the “PK Subban is being traded” wing are doing: Defying logic in the face of transparent evidence.

Of course, I don’t think Bergevin is innocent of all that has happened this season, but in the case of PK Subban, I feel certain that he is not going anywhere. If you want to keep your tinfoil hat on and pretend that PK Subban is being shopped despite Bergevin’s “anti-Subban shopping” being presented in front of you, go right ahead. Just be sure to know that tinfoil hats look stupid, and so does trading PK Subban.

Steph (@stephdarwish) – I was listening to the press conference on ear phones while i was working, and I missed a couple of points here and there.

However, as a marketing person, here’s what my take aways were:

• Bergevin seemed not only annoyed at being questioned, he seemed downright snobby. Like “who the hell are these people to ask me questions”… which to me, is a bigger issue than anything. He comes off as a know-it-all and full of excuses.
• I’m with Mitch Melnick, stop crying about how hard it is to make trades and just get it done. JUST DO YOUR JOB. It’s whiny and just another excuse. I don’t want to hear about how you are trying real hard, I want to hear actionable items. I want to hear what you plan is.
• Does Michel Therrien have some kind of dirt on Bergevin? Because at this point, he is either the most stubborn man alive who can’t be objective, or Therrien has some embarrassing photos. It makes zero sense.

Ugh.. I found the whole thing frustrating, and frankly, made me question even more the judgement of this team’s management.

Damon (@DTA23) – If I had just finished leading a team to the horrid season that Bergevin just did I would damn sure show some humility, even fake humility if need be. Arrogance and failure are a really bad mix. A mix Marc seemed to have perfected during the presser.

This isn’t a team that just missed the playoffs or slightly underachieved. This team grossly failed to live up to expectations. It’s not a matter of making small tweaks. Drastic changes are needed.

I think Therrien is safe because he is the only safety net Bergevin has. If you fire the coach and the team is still struggling then the GM is the next to go. I think the only reason to wait to fire the coach is because it’s the last arrow in your quiver and you need to save it for when your back is really against the wall.

Bergevin’s “assurance” that PK wasn’t being shopped did very little to reassure me. The moment you confirm that you’re shopping him you instantly discount his trade value, especially since you have a deadline of July 1st.

All I know is that if the Habs do trade him I don’t think I would ever be able to forgive that. Never has someone who has been criticized so much given so much back to a city that probably doesn’t deserve it.