Big win in Montreal: Bergevin redeems himself by landing Drouin

For Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin, redemption is spelled "Jonathan Drouin."

Bergevin pulled off another June blockbuster Thursday, acquiring 22-year-old Drouin in a massive trade with the Lightning, sending prized defensive prospect Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay. Conditional picks are involved as well, with the Lightning set to receive a second-round pick in 2018 for a sixth-round pick if Sergachev plays 40 games for Tampa Bay next season.

Welcome home

The immediate reaction: This is a big win for Montreal. Drouin's young, with 164 regular-season games and 23 playoff contests already under his belt. He's coming off his most productive season on the heels of his coming-out party in the 2016 playoffs, which ended a tumultuous season that saw his trade request from Tampa Bay go public, eventually leading to his suspension by the club after he failed to report to the AHL.

The parties made nice, but that's all in the past now, as Drouin, a restricted free agent July 1, is set to sign long term with the team he grew up adoring. He's finally where he truly wants to be, and Montreal has its young, dynamic - and French! - star to build around.

Think of it this way: P.K. Subban and Sergachev for Shea Weber and Drouin. That makes it a little easier to swallow, right?

Offense needed

Montreal averaged 2.72 goals per game this past season, which ranked 15th in the league. Average. But not good enough.

The Canadiens had only two players score 20 goals or more during the regular season, and one of them was Paul Byron, who'd never scored more than 11 before this past campaign. Only two Habs broke 50 points - Max Pacioretty and Alex Radulov, who is an unrestricted free agent in a couple of weeks.

In the playoffs, the Canadiens managed only 11 goals in six games in their first-round loss to the New York Rangers. Yes, Henrik Lundqvist is both an obscenely talented goaltender and stupidly handsome, but Pacioretty - who had only one assist in the series - and Co. needed help. They got it in Drouin.

Give to get

Sergachev, drafted ninth overall last year, is thought to have a bright future. He's been a force on defense for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires, posting back-to-back seasons of 57 and 43 points. He'll be 19 on June 25. He could turn out to be very, very good.

The thing is: Drouin's already proven he possess above-average offensive smarts. He's already a top-line player, and he's already been through a lot off the ice. And, let's face it, that's going to help him in Montreal, where the pressure's going to be dialed up about 467,738 times what it was in sunny Tampa Bay.

In the end, this trade was made for reasons to do with the expansion draft and the salary cap, and could turn out to be great for both teams. The Lightning could be looking at a Victor Hedman-Sergachev pairing for the next 10 years.

Questions remain

Bergevin's still got work to do, because even after acquiring Drouin, a lot of questions need answering:

• Will the Canadiens move Drouin, a left winger, to center? If not, an already log-jammed wing position is one dynamic forward thicker.
• If Drouin is moved to center, does that mean Alex Galchenyuk is traded?
• Galchenyuk's only 23, and a restricted free agent himself. If Drouin is moved to the middle, can he stay in Montreal on the wing for good?
• Does Bergevin dangle Galchenyuk for a center? Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, perhaps? Or does Bergevin try to trade Galchnyuk for help on defense?
• Sergachev's departure means Andrei Markov's absolutely being re-signed, right?

Price's window

The bottom line: Bergevin can sacrifice depth on defense - even a stud prospect - when he's got Carey Price in goal. Only thing is, Price is under contract for only one more season. He'll be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2018, and you have to think Bergevin doesn't let him get there.

In order to ensure Price's signature is on a new contract, though, Bergevin must show his prized goaltender that he's put together a team that can succeed, that can score. Drouin helps there, both in the short and long term.

The hope is: Drouin makes everyone forget about Subban, and keeps Price in Montreal for the majority of his career.

It's a strong bet, one Bergevin absolutely had to make. And he did.

Despite all the criticism the GM took as Subban and the Nashville Predators advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, Bergevin deserves respect, because the Canadiens are a far better and more dangerous team than they were Thursday morning.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)