Quotes of the day: Bergevin

MONTREAL - General manager Marc Bergevin spoke with reporters via Zoom on Monday evening to discuss his trade deadline moves.

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Here are a few highlights from his chat:
Bergevin on his body of work in recent days:
We're happy with what we managed to do. We're also counting the acquisition of Eric Staal. We're comfortable with our group. I would've liked to get other pieces, but I wasn't ready to sacrifice young players for short-term help.

Bergevin on newcomers Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson:
Merrill is a mobile defenseman who moves the puck well. He has good size. Our scouts told us that he had a good season in Detroit. In Gustafsson's case, he registered 60 points, including 15 goals, not too long ago. He also moves the puck well and he can help us on the power play. They're two completely different players. They bring different things to our defense corps right now.

Bergevin on the performance of his key players recently:
Coming back from the pause related to COVID-19, we had two good games before we started to struggle. We aren't happy about it. I expect a lot from our team in the 17 games we have left. I'd like to see more consistency in our game.
Bergevin on defenseman Victor Mete being claimed off waivers by Ottawa:
I wish Victor the best of luck with the Senators. He's a good person. I saw that we needed a change. There's always a risk that you're going to lose a player when you put them on waivers. We wish him the best, but we're comfortable with the players we have right now on the back end.

Bergevin on the possibility of Laval Rocket forward Cole Caufield joining the Canadiens:
I have no idea right now. No decision has been made about whether that's going to happen.
Bergevin on his team's play this season:
It's a group that has good stretches and bad stretches, which is why we're in the middle of the pack. I think if we can be more consistent, we can get back to being among the top teams. The answer is in the dressing room with our guys. I think we have a lot of character and the guys want to be the team that they're capable of being. It will be up to them to show it.