In the end, Montréal's hands were tied by their own luck.

Last season, the Canadiens barely skulked into the playoffs, got a bit lucky a few rounds in a row, and then were unceremoniously bounced from the Cup Final by a far superior Tampa Bay Lightning club.

That capped a playoff run in which there were rumours that general manager Marc Bergevin had a contract offer in his inbox just awaiting a signature. Moreover, it seemed to quiet any of the would-be critics who would have pointed out that the Canadiens hadn't made a real playoff since 2017, and even then got upset in the first round.

And regardless of whether he signed that contract offer, that post-season success (such as it was) certainly gave Bergevin the cachet to make some bulky signings, make an extremely ill-advised draft pick in t