Trades and free agents are a good way to build a team, but the top forces in the NHL were created from drafting and developing. The Vegas Golden Knights are an obvious outlier. But teams such as the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators have a core build around homegrown talent. For the Montreal Canadiens to have the same success down the line, they must follow suit.
The team has great players already in the organization that have produced. Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, and Victor Mete look to be part of the core Marc Bergevin is trying to solidify.