The price to acquire big guns from around the League was also far too high for Bergevin's liking. Time and again, he has stressed his preference to avoid sacrificing the Habs' future in exchange for short-term help, and he stayed true to that philosophy once again.
"It was the same names that kept on coming up. We weren't going to consider that at all," affirmed Bergevin, who identified the likes of youngsters Ryan Poehling and Alexander Romanov as primary targets of opposing general managers. "That was a non-starter."
The conversation was equally brief when teams asked for rookie sensation Jesperi Kotkaniemi in return to make a deal work.
Bergevin wasn't about to acquiesce, of course.
"The discussion was very short," cracked Bergevin. "I had to pinch myself to make sure that I heard the right name."
Later on during his press conference, he reiterated his faith in the youngsters the Canadiens have in their fold.
He is adamant that they really are the organization's key to long-term success.
"I did a lot of travel this year. I went to Finland. I just came back from Russia. I was at the World Junior Hockey Championship for two weeks. I follow those guys closely. Our staff has worked hard to evaluate our young players. Not all of them will play, but we have a good group," insisted Bergevin. "We're confident that we'd like to build our future with our kids. We have 10 or 11 picks that are coming in the NHL Draft. I think we're leading the organization in the right direction for the future."
Quick hits
With respect to Poehling, Bergevin didn't rule out the possibility of the St. Cloud State University standout joining the Canadiens once his NCAA campaign comes to a close.
"The decision will be made when he finishes his season," mentioned Bergevin. "It's a big jump from college to the NHL, especially at that point in the year. But, it's still too early to say."
On the subject of Weal, Bergevin qualified his addition as a depth move that can give head coach Claude Julien and his staff another option up the middle.
"He's a right-handed center," said Bergevin. "We have Phil [Danault], who is left-handed. We have Max [Domi], who is left-handed. [Nate] Thompson is also left-handed and so is KK [Jesperi Kotkaniemi]. It gives the coaches another tool, if they want a righty for faceoffs."
Bergevin also updated the status of defenseman Noah Juulsen, who is sidelined indefinitely with a vision-related issue.
"He's with the team in Montreal. He hasn't played in a long time. I would be very surprised if he played again this season, but I have no doubt that he'll be back at 100 percent for next year," explained Bergevin. "There definitely aren't any issues for next season."
