By Jack Dion
The Montreal Canadiens have made major moves in their front office over the past few days, most notably firing General Manager Marc Bergevin, Assistant GM Trevor Timmins, and senior vice president of public affairs and communications Paul Wilson. https://www.tsn.ca/montreal-canadiens-fire-marc-bergevin-1.1727507. The Habs are off to an abysmal 6 win and 16 loss and 2 overtime or shootout losses start to the season. Bergevin was in his 10th season as the team’s GM. This also comes off the heels of former assistant general manager Scott Mellanby who resigned on Saturday. After a magical run to the Stanley Cup Final last year the difficult start for Montreal forced the hand of owner Geoff Molson. Despite the tenure and recent success of Bergevin and his team, this season is different. There were rumours about Bergevin’s future with the team heading into the final year of his contract and after comments made by the former GM the writing was on the wall. He told Montreal media he would be back in “the perfect situation” which insinuated he was not in currently. Owner Geoff Molson has positive parting words for his now-former employees “On behalf of myself and the organization, I wish to thank Marc Bergevin, Trevor Timmins, and Paul Wilson for their passion and engagement towards the club over the last few years. Their relentless work allowed our fans to experience many memorable moments, including last summer’s playoff run that culminated with the Stanley Cup final.” Montreal’s search for their next leading man comes with a caveat. There are expectations that the General Manager is not only a french speaking individual but a member of the Quebecois community. This limits the options for Montreal to a specific list of candidates that fit their requirements. Some of those options for the Canadiens include former goaltenders Jocelyn Thibault and Patrick Roy who are both currently working in Quebec. Thibault was recently named the executive director of Quebec Hockey. An organization that is struggling with dropping numbers in player registration, referee shortages, and internal governing issues. He left his job as the General Manager of the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the QMJHL to take this new role. Roy has been with Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL. Roy shared his own interest in rejoining the club in a managerial load. But it is unsure if he will be willing to work closely with new upper management. Another underrated option is another former Canadien in Daniel Briere who has experience in the front office of the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. These are three viable options but with one just taking on a new role, another unsure if he would be able to relinquish power, and the other just getting his feet wet in the managerial role it limits the list that much more.
Patrick Roy during the 1993 Stanley Cup Celebration now interested in returning to Montreal
While the Canadiens are looking for a new general manager, the club announced Jeff Gorton the former New York Rangers GM will serve as the executive vice president of hockey operations. Jeff Gorton has made some significant moves in his time with the Rangers. Most notably he acquired Mika Zibanejad from Ottawa, Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox for a pair of 2nd round picks, and signed Artemi Panarin to a 7-year 11.6-million-dollar deal. Although there were some not-so-great moves as he fueled the Tampa Bay Lightning’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships trading Ryan McDonagh and J.T Miller to the Bolts for a cavalcade of insignificant pieces that never panned out for the Rangers. Now with Gorton at the helm, it is believed he will be making the major decisions with the General Manager being the face of those decisions. The end of Marc Bergevin’s tenure with the Habs was disappointing, to say the least. He allowed 21-year-old centreman Jesperi Kotkaniemi to leave via free agency along with Philip Danault. This season isn’t completely to blame on Bergevin as star netminder Carey Price voluntarily entered the NHL Players’ Association’s assistance program during training camp and has yet to play a game this season. The younger players Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have struggled after a successful run in the playoffs last year. Montreal did make their way to the Stanley Cup Finals this past summer ultimately falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games. Whoever the Habs tap to be their new general manager will have some difficult decisions about the direction of the franchise. But possibly importantly a rabid fanbase that cares about the success of their team.
Be the first to comment