Rumor: NHL GM is reportedly looking to make a blockbuster trade

Everybody in Montreal was shocked to learn that defenseman Andrei Markov would not be back with the Canadiens next season, even though he played in Montreal for the first 16 years of his career. General manager Marc Bergevin said the 38-year-old asked for too much money, which explains why he did not sign with them.

Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman believes there is a reason why Bergevin is so careful with the way he uses his cap space. Here is what he said, as reported by FanRag Sports:

"I get the impression that you’ve got Marc Bergevin sitting here with a lot of cap space and I think he’s sitting on something, or some ideas. And I’m not necessarily saying that he’s going to do something big, but I think he’s dreaming big. You talked about the trade earlier this year – the Sergachev-for-Drouin deal – I don’t think that trade happens if they aren’t trying to do something after what was a nightmare year for them last year to change the impression of the organization in the province.”

Bergevin often says that he is always looking at possibilities to make his team better. Friedman is convinced that Montreal is in a "win now" mode, and that the general manager may go all in:

"I think one of the reasons [Markov] felt he was forced to make that decision was because Marc Bergevin told him ‘I want to wait until September or October to see if I can do anything else with my cap space.’ “

According to CapFriendly.com, the Montreal Canadiens have roughly $8.5 million in cap space. We will have to keep a close eye on Bergevin over the next few weeks.