Why bringing Marc-Andre Bergeron in on an AHL PTO is a good idea

Tampa Bay Lightning v Carolina Hurricanes

When players are brought in on a short term contract or a PTO, it isn’t usually because of their all around skill set. They can be used in highly specific roles or possible redemption stories that a team can get at a discount. While Sam Gagner was brought in on the cheap in hopes of a redemption of sorts, Marc-Andre Bergeron, who was brought in during training camp, is now with the Cleveland Monsters via a PTO. He brings one skill set and one real skill set alone, he puts points on the board.

If you’ve followed the Jackets at all this year, you’ll notice that a lot of their scoring has been coming from the back end. That isn’t a coincidence either.

A veteran presence that can teach a thing or two about activating from the back end is just what the doctor ordered for the Monsters. They started the year awfully slow, and it didn’t help that a number of players went up to the Jackets or left for greener pastures. That type of turnover will hurt any team. The scoring from the back end has been abysmal, which will happen when you lose players like Zach Werenski and Michael Paliotta. They were two of the most offensively focused defensemen on Calder Cup champs last spring.

This year they’ve seen Dean Kukan and Jamie Sifers lead the defensemen in points. The scoring though is drastically down, at only 0.33 ppg compared to the over 0.50 ppg we saw last year from the defensive leaders. The Swiss league (NLA) isn’t a perfect comparison but plenty of former NHLers play over there and the quality of the league is stout. In Bergeron’s three years in the NLA, he averaged a 0.58 ppg. Even if he contributes slightly less than that, he can be a difference maker on the blue line.

We talked about this the other day with Prout and how he needs to rework the basic parts of his game. Bergeron is an example of someone who got it figured out offensively but never put it all together on the back end. Nonetheless, he was still able to play in the NHL for ten plus seasons, which in itself is an accomplishment and not a bad career. Bringing in a player like this can pay dividends, as the youngsters can learn just through watching up close. Last year, the Monsters brought in Steve Eminger and he helped out immensely down the stretch with 14 points in 19 games.

Letting younger players know that they can stretch their skills to the other end of the ice is a good idea. Dillon Heatherington and Blake Siebenaler are still developing and they have the potential to be more. The Jackets are hoping that in addition to help in the standings, Bergeron can hopefully be a beacon of light for younger players to rely on. It kills two birds with one stone, not a bad investment on their part.

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