Bergevin: Therrien safe this season, Price's rehab going slowly
With the Montreal Canadiens mired in one of the worst stretches in team history, general manager Marc Bergevin stood up Thursday and took full responsibility.
With only four wins to their credit since the beginning of December, Bergevin said criticism of the Canadiens' poor performance should be placed squarely on his shoulders, and not on the coaching staff or players.
"It's been a hard time for all of us, but I believe in Michel Therrien and his coaching staff," Bergevin said. "Nobody is going anywhere."
Bergevin added that Therrien is safe for the rest of the season regardless of what happens down the stretch.
In terms of what he can do to turn things around, Bergevin said he's not prepared to sacrifice the future of the team for short-term success.
Key to Montreal's slide has been the absence of star goaltender Carey Price, whose return doesn't appear to be on the immediate horizon.
Bergevin on Price: ``It's been slower than we expected.'' Says no real firm date for return but not before 3 weeks or a month...
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) January 21, 2016
Price has appeared in only 12 games this season, and has been out of the lineup since Nov. 25 with a lower-body injury.
Heading into Saturday's game in Toronto, the Canadiens - who started the season a perfect 9-0 - find themselves out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.