In this first installment of a four-part series comparing Montreal Canadiens
general manager Marc Bergevin to his four immediate predecessors, we take a
look at Pierre Gauthier.

It's been 25 years since the Habs last won the Stanley Cup. In that time,
players have come and gone, but so have GMs. Five have been hired since Serge
Savard was let go in 1995. Only four have followed him out the door though,
with Bergevin being the sole exception… for now. How do they each stack up
against Savard? Not well, it turns out. So, we'll settle for comparing Bergevin
 to the other four who have failed to fill the former's shoes, starting with
Gauthier.Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin - (Amy Irvin / The
Hockey Writers)Tale of the Tape: Bergevin vs. Gauthier

Time Served: Feb. 8, 2010 - March 29, 2012 (Gauthier); May 2, 2012 - now
(Bergevin)

No. of Playoff Appearances/ Seasons: 2/3 (Gauthier); 4/6 (Bergevin)

No. of Division Titles/ Seasons: 0/3 (Gauthier); 3/6 (Bergevin)

No. of Playoff Rounds Won/ Seasons: 2/3 (Gauthier); 3/6 (Bergevin)

No. of Draft Home Runs/ Picks (a home run being a projected good, long-term
fit):

1/12 (Gauthier; Brendan Gallagher at No. 147 in 2010);3/ 32 (Bergevin,
excluding last two drafts; Charles Hudon at No. 122 in 2012, Artturi Lehkonen
at No. 55 in 2013, Victor Mete at No. 100 in 2016)

Best/ Worst Free Agents Signed (based on contract and expected/ actual
contributions):

Erik Cole/ Peter Budaj (Gauthier)Alexander Radulov/ Daniel Briere (Bergevin)

Best/ Worst Free-Agent Re-Signings:

David Desharnais ($1.7 million over two years)/ Josh Gorges ($23.4 million over
 six years) (Gauthier)Max Pacioretty ($27 million over six years)/ Carey Price
($84 million over eight years) (Bergevin)

Signature Trade:

Michael Cammalleri, Karri Ramo, 2012 fifth-round pick for Rene Bourque, Patrick
 Holland, 2013 second-round pick (Gauthier)P.K. Subban for Shea Weber
(Bergevin)

Bergevin and Gauthier Mirror Images

In many ways, Bergevin is the mirror image of his predecessor, Gauthier, as
Canadiens GM.

For example, whereas Gauthier had been nicknamed Ghost for the disappearing act
 he regularly pulled when it came time to speak to the media, Bergevin is just
the opposite. To his credit, Bergevin has rarely shied away from attention and
has delivered many an impressive sound bite in the process.

Secondly, whereas Bergevin had no prior experience as a GM before getting
hired, Gauthier had previously served in that capacity with the Ottawa Senators
 and Anaheim Ducks. Granted, that experience didn't exactly serve him well, as,
 after being hired in February 2010, he lasted just two more seasons.

Contrast that with the six seasons Bergevin has had to turn this team into a
winner and it becomes clear: Time spent in a given position is not necessarily
a good indication of success.Ex-Montreal Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin

That isn't to say Gauthier was a great GM. Nothing could be further from the
truth, especially behind the scenes. He threw assistant coach Perry Pearn under
 the bus as if to send a warning shot across then-head coach Jacques Martin's
port bow. It was a miscalculation and he ended up firing Martin himself just a
few months later.

He then managed to screw up hiring an interim head coach when performance
expectations were already low during a miserable 2011-12 season. After hiring
Randy Cunneyworth, he bungled the situation by first implying his status as an
Anglophone head coach, even in the interim, wasn't a big deal. He was then
forced to backtrack as a result of the public uproar that ensued.

Unofficially having fired Cunneyworth as a result, months before the Habs
actually handed the coach his walking papers, Gauthier effectively scapegoated
three separate bench bosses in span of literally just as many months. In a
poetic twist of fate, Gauthier actually got shown the door himself at the end
of that season, before Cunneyworth.Bad Enough for Gauthier, Not Bergevin

In any case, that 28th-place finish opened the door for Bergevin to be hired,
which is all the more relevant now considering Bergevin's Habs just finished in
 the same location in the standings. Somehow finishing in 28th place was bad
enough for Gauthier to be fired, but not bad enough for Bergevin, who is
staying on in his current role for the time being… despite the team being in
a downward spiral over the last few seasons with no imminent signs of recovery.

Say what you want about Gauthier. At least the teams he helped put together,
including as the assistant of predecessor Bob Gainey, found some measure of
sustained success prior to that disappointing 2011-12 season.

In fact, you can make a case that 2011-12 season was an aberration. After all,
they reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2010, albeit on the strength of
otherworldly goaltending from Jaroslav Halak. They then took the
eventual-Stanley Cup-champion Boston Bruins to overtime in Game 7 of the
following postseason's first round.Ex-Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak
- (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Meanwhile, in Bergevin's first season, much the same roster, excluding
additions like Michael Ryder (for Erik Cole) and Brandon Prust, rebounded to
win the Northeast Division. The year after, again, with the same core that had
been assembled by Gauthier and Gainey (excluding the at-times-disappointing
acquisition of Thomas Vanek), the Habs reached the Eastern Conference Final
once more.

Maybe the Bergevin hiring prompted some sort of seismic culture shock in the
dressing room and in that respect it was justified. So, Bergevin, who has yet
to meet a synonym for "character" he didn't like and has preached the need for
intangibles on his team (because, for all intents and purposes, this is his
team now), was just what the doctor had ordered, at least for a period of
time.Cammalleri Trade Revisited

His proponents may have a good argument too… were it not for the whole fiasco
 surrounding Michael Cammalleri, who got traded by Gauthier in the middle of a
game. The reason? Arguably a bad attitude. Cammalleri made the mistake of
speaking out of turn, saying: "We prepare for our games like losers. We play
like losers. So, it's no wonder why we lose."

So, in many respects, Gauthier was just as much of a stickler for players
staying in line as Bergevin. It's hard to give either one too much credit for
sticking to their guns as far as the skill-versus-strength of character debate
goes though, considering how their respective tenures turned out.

The only real difference is the amount of time they each got at the helm of the
 Habs. We'll never know if Gauthier would have been able to turn it around.
Fans should have a pretty good idea that Bergevin can't, as the Habs are on the
 precipice of a third non-playoff season in the last four.Ex-Montreal Canadiens
 forward Michael Cammalleri - (Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports)

That Cammalleri trade will probably stand out as Gauthier's signature deal,
with the Halak one with the St. Louis Blues (for Lars Eller) being a close
second. Of course, in retrospect, critics of that deal have to admit sticking
with Carey Price in spite of Halak's heroics during the 2010 playoffs was the
right move.

Similarly, Bergevin may have felt forced into trading a Habs playoff hero of
his own in P.K. Subban. Dissimilarly, that trade doesn't look all that good in
hindsight as, on Bergevin';s watch, the Canadiens seem intent on slowly moving
further and further away from relevance during an era in which success is built
 on speed.Pierre Gauthier (THW Archives)

So, it turns out, Bergevin and Gauthier have at least one thing in common: They
 both failed spectacularly… just in different ways. Gauthier burned out in a
short period of time. Bergevin's taking his time fading away.

As evidenced by how quickly the Habs rebounded following Gauthier's dismissal
with minimal damage having been done, his legacy may not end up quite as
tarnished as Bergevin's when all is said and done.

The question is when will that be? The Canadiens are about due... either for a
front-office shake-up or another patented Bergevin blockbuster. The preference
between the two should be clear.

The post Canadiens GM Showdown: Bergevin vs. Gauthier appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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