LAVAL, Quebec -- Marc Bergevin does not like to say rebuild when it comes to the current state of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens general manager was being asked by approximately 60 reporters what the trade of forward Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday said about Montreal's future. He wouldn't bite.
"It's a word I'm not really willing to use, because if you say rebuild, it means you are starting from scratch," Bergevin said at the Canadiens' annual golf tournament at Laval-sur-le-Lac golf club Monday. "You could start with an age, 26, 27, whatever you want, and just say, 'Anyone older, just move these guys and start with all young guys.'"
That's not the case in Montreal.
"(Goalie) Carey Price (31) is going to be here a long time. (Defenseman) Shea Weber (33) is going to be here for a long time," Bergevin said. "We need some leadership, and I want to have a team that competes for the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs this year and gets better every year."
Asked if reset, a term he has used in the past, was a better description, Bergevin replied, "Call it whatever you want."
Montreal's moves over the past 27 months might be more housecleaning than rebuild, but there can be no arguing the makeup of the Canadiens has changed.
Significantly.
Pacioretty, their captain since Sept. 28, 2015, is the latest to go, joining P.K. Subban, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, Lars Eller and Andrei Markov as prominent members of the 2015-16 Canadiens no longer in Montreal. It started when Subban, who won the Norris Trophy in 2013, was traded to the Nashville Predators on June 29, 2016.
The Canadiens have accrued a cache of young talent they hope will form a winning foundation: defenseman Victor Mete, 20, and forwards Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 18; Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen, each 23; Charles Hudon, 24; and Joel Armia, 25.
Along those lines, Bergevin said the key to the Pacioretty trade was getting forward Nick Suzuki, who was selected by Vegas with the No. 13 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Canadiens also received forward Tomas Tatar and a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft for Pacioretty.
"He's such a skilled kid with a great mind for the game," Bergevin said of Suzuki, who had 100 points (42 goals, 58 assists) in 64 games for Owen Sound in the Ontario Hockey League last season. "He was a target for us."
Bergevin said Vegas GM George McPhee was reluctant to give up Suzuki for fear of potentially getting burned like he did in the Filip Forsberg trade.
McPhee was GM of the Washington Capitals when they traded Forsberg and a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators on April 3, 2013, for forward Martin Erat, then 32, and forward prospect Michael Latta. Erat, who had 481 points (163 goals, 318 points) in 723 games for the Predators, had 27 points (two goals, 25 assists) in 62 games for the Capitals. Latta had 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 113 games for Washington. Forsberg has 255 points (117 goals, 138 assists) in 331 games for the Predators, who feel the 24-year-old forward has yet to reach his ceiling.
That the Canadiens got Suzuki should be viewed as a positive by Montreal fans, considering Bergevin had little leverage in the Pacioretty situation.
Pacioretty, 29, who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2019, said on Sept. 6 he would not negotiate a long-term contract with the Canadiens once the regular season started.
His agent, Allan Walsh, said Aug. 28 that Pacioretty had no interest in leaving Montreal, but Bergevin and owner Geoff Molson each said Pacioretty asked to be traded last season.
"We're dealing with the truth … a request was made," Molson said.
Rather than potentially losing Pacioretty for nothing next offseason, the Canadiens got a blue-chip prospect. Suzuki joins Kotkaniemi as the providers of hope for the future in Montreal.
Kotkaniemi was selected with the No. 3 pick by the Canadiens at the 2018 NHL Draft. He had 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games last season playing for Assat in Liiga, Finland's top professional league.
With Suzuki able to play center as well as wing, he and Kotkaniemi could form a 1-2 punch down the middle the Canadiens haven't had in years.
"It's a young league and it's getting younger," Bergevin said. "You mentioned some guys and we have more guys coming. We have 10 picks in next year's draft. The future, we're going that way. We're drafting players, that's the way you're going to get them, and we're focusing on that right now. But we don't want to lose sight of the fact that we're a competitive team."
It's a mixture of present and future that has Price believing better days are ahead for the Canadiens, who finished 26 points out of a playoff spot last season.
"I feel I'm coming into the prime of my career and I feel I have the ability to help this team win," Price said.
A team that has become noticeably younger, rebuild or not.
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