Unable to watch players in person as the Draft drew near as he typically does, Bergevin admitted that he feels somewhat handicapped compared to previous years:
"It's difficult because usually, towards the end of each season, I go see the players who we think will fall into our pool. This year, because of COVID, I wasn't able to see them live, in arenas. I saw everything on video, which is totally different. That puts me at a disadvantage for this season."
Timmins on the possibility that Bergevin might move the first-round pick:
"We want what's best for the organization and we trust in our general manager, Marc Bergevin. You know if he needs to move that pick to help make us better, to win sooner than later, then all hands on board, we're all for it. We've worked really hard, and got a lot more hours put in because of the extra time. We worked right through the summer, every week and gathered a lot more information than in the past, just because time permitted. We got fresh information over these last couple of months. We're excited as a scouting staff; we work together as a team. It's going to be a full team effort here for the next couple of days, and we're excited to make our picks."
With that said, Bergevin told reporters that there was not much discussion surrounding a transaction for the 16th overall pick and expects to be on the virtual podium to make a selection there on Tuesday evening:
"[Trade talk has been] very quiet, actually. I was asked the question and I answer honestly that if something makes sense for us, we will look into it. But to sit here today and tell you that there's something going on, I would be lying."
He did, however, outline some conditions that would cause him to consider making a move:
"To trade my first-round pick for a player of a certain age who could help us in the short term, I'm not interested in that. But a player who could help us for several years and who could make a difference, I would certainly look at that very closely."