HabsWorld.net -- 

To say the fan base is upset about the P.K. Subban trade would be an understatement.  One area that continues to draw ire is Marc Bergevin’s reluctance to get into greater details about why he did the deal beyond what he said in his initial press conference.  The thing is, he doesn’t need to.

There seems to be a sense of entitlement from many fans and media saying that Bergevin ‘owes’ everyone a more detailed explanation beyond his claim that it makes the team better.  No, he doesn’t.  No general manager in professional sports goes into explicit detail about every move or non-move made, nor should he.  Would it be nice to know more of the rationale behind the deal, other than his assertion that it makes the team better?  Of course it would.  But he doesn’t have to like some are asserting.

The problem for Bergevin here though is that he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.  If he says nothing – as he pretty much has thus far – he’s vilified for his silence.  If he went into details and gave the reasons for the move, how many would actually believe that those ‘reasons’ are actually legitimate or true?  Probably not many, especially if there’s even the slightest bit of negativity associated with any of them (and I imagine there would be).  If even one thing was negative, he’d be accused of fabricating stories to serve his own interest and deliberately lying to the fans.

So why bother going into any more details than he already has (which admittedly isn’t much)?  There’s nothing to gain from it if he does.  Some organizations have aired their dirty laundry after a player leaves in the past and it doesn’t go over well so why fall into that trap?  That would only hurt his own reputation as well as the teams’ (not to mention Subban’s potentially) so why shoot yourself in the foot and make matters even worse?

And if you’re looking at this from a more cynical perspective, consider this famous adage and apply it to Bergevin: “’Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.”  While many consider Bergevin to be a fool right now, even from that perspective silence makes more sense.

Regardless of whether or not you’re in favour of the trade, we’ll all like to know more about why the deal was made.  For some, the hockey related reasons would be of interest while others are just looking for more reasons to further sharpen their pitchforks.  But Marc Bergevin doesn’t owe anyone any further of an explanation than he already has given, nor is there really any incentive for him to do so.  Staying silent is hardly the popular move here but it’s the right one for Bergevin and the Habs.