If you asked Marc-Andre Bergeron (Box 16) on whether or not he'll see more ice-time now that he was moved to Anaheim, he would probably shake his head and concede to his place in the press box. The Ducks are already nose-deep in defensemen, it was only a matter of time before a guy who was barely cracking the line-up in Long Island, sits in the press box in Anaheim.The puck moving defenseman has had a lot of problems cracking line-ups around the league and it's speculated that it's because of his poor defense. There isn't any question that Bergeron is an offensive talent, but it's becoming more apparent that the "defense first" mentality is in full swing around the league.
That shouldn't discourage Bergeron, because there are teams out there still looking for a puck moving defenseman. It's not necessarily his fault that he gets traded to teams with coaches that preach (or eat, drink & breathe) defense. I'm sure Ted Nolan on Long Island appreciated Bergeron's 9 goals in 46 games for the team. But that -14 really hits home in those tight-knit Eastern Conference battles. And now, Bergeron has a tougher egg to crack in Randy Carlyle, a highly-regarded blueliner in his day that could play both ways... well!
Maybe these teams who are dealing Bergeron to coaches with the "defense first" game are trying to send the blueliner a message. He's a great commodity, both on your favourite team and on your pool team, but if he's not going to adopt what the coach has to teach him, he'll be wearing a couple new jerseys each season.
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