RALEIGH – When Marc Bergevin gave his 2018-19 midseason press conference on Jan. 7, he was in good spirits.



Through three months of hockey, his Canadiens had exceeded expectations. They were battling for a spot in the playoffs, sitting just one point out at the time. But that wasn’t what had the Montreal general manager smiling on this day.



Bergevin had returned a night earlier from the World Junior Championships in Vancouver, where the Canadiens had seven prospects playing for their respective national teams.



“With what I just saw in Vancouver,” Bergevin said that day, “the future of the Canadiens is very bright.”



He talked about Ryan Poehling, named tournament MVP for his heroic play with Team USA. He talked about Alexander Romanov, named top defenceman in the tournament for his role in helping Russia win bronze.



He didn’t talk about Nick Suzuki; likely because the young forward – and main...