Montreal Canadiens: Will Christmas Come Early With New General Manager?

‘Twas the month before Christmas
and through the Patri
GM rumours were swirling
started by Guy.

Carbonneau, that is. The unjustly fired and perhaps most vocal of the old guard of the Montreal Canadiens didn’t hold back about who team Jeff/Geoff should hire for the vacant GM post.

Will Christmas will come early for the Habs? Something is in the air, thats for sure.

Even the normally restrained Serge Savard got into the act with a series of opinions akin to the Festivus airing of grievances. I don’t think he liked the presents under the tree a decade ago…

Christmas has come and gone for Team Bicep. They got a lump of coal (it was a big one) after a memorable 9+ years. Memorable in the sense that we will remember them, if not necessarily fondly. Their impressive feats of strength couldn’t save them in the worst season in franchise history and the story moves on. Thank goodness Geoff Molson came down the stairs to see what was the matter.

Now the stockings are hung by the chimney with care in the hopes that Bob Gainey will soon be there…

If Bob Gainey is an advisor in the process then not likely to be done this week, but the present will likely be a good one. The man is as thorough as he is patient. If he had been around for the last GM hiring process the slate of candidates might have been stronger, his presence now improves the organization’s chances.

The question is what sort of profile the team will look for. Here are some examples of what is likely being considered, along with some candidates that fit the various profiles. In every case, the profile is a bilingual Quebecer.

Player Agents

Player Agents make good GMs. Brian Burke, Dean Lombardi, Peter Chiarelli, and Ray Shero stand out as success stories. The oft-rumoured Pat Brisson likely wouldn’t consider this post, but there are others who might be great fits. One is Kent Hughes, whose case has been examined at length in the media already. There is another name that merits equal consideration:

Emilie Castonguay.

The Montréal Canadiens should have more women on staff. Looking down their organization women are underrepresented, and that’s saying it kindly. New ways of thinking lead to new results, and if thats the direction then its time for the Habs to catch up. The Maple Leafs are employing Haley Wickenheiser and Danielle Goyette. It is only a matter of time before the NHL has its first woman GM, and why not the Habs?

While not necessarily as high profile as Brisson or Hughes, Castonguay’s profile is similar. She already has a rapport with Jeff Gorton. Her highest profile clients are Marie-Phillip Poulin and Alexis Lafreniere. Given Lafreniere’s contract was the standard entry-level deal for a first selection it is likely they are established.

If Kent Hughes is a presumptive front runner it is for many of the same reasons that Castonguay might also be considered. Her roots are in the province so she know the undercurrents of this market and won’t need any education understanding what the Habs mean to their fans. Combine that with already knowing Jeff Gorton, and she would hit the ground running.

She has significant relationships with top players in the Q, so she has an ability to recruit and represent player interests. That might make a difference to players considering a move in free agency. Just as important are her deeper ties to the QMJHL.  She has a finger on the pulse of the Q, something that has been woefully lacking during the 17 years that Trevor Timmins ran the scouting department. They will know about the next up and coming players here, and it is reasonable to expect  they will draft accordingly. It would be nice to see more of the best Quebec players playing for La Sainte-Flanelle.

The one major difference between Hughes and Castonguay is her playing career in the NCAA. She was a player, he wasn’t. No matter what, she has the infrastructure in place to help rebuild the amateur scouting department which, to be blunt, needs it.

Other Player Agents with Quebec ties : J.P. Barry, Claude Lemieux.

Former Habs Players

This is the one person who is really going to polarize the fanbase and the media. I’m going to use this moment to speak in defence of Patrick Roy.

Show me someone without baggage and I will show you a life that has not been truly lived. Those sorts of people come with huge benefits if they have learned from those mistakes.

Has anyone done more than Patrick Roy? At any level?

The guy is a winner, and brings a winner’s attitude. Maybe the Canadiens need that at moment – a solid winner whose teams tend to win too. He knows what it takes to excel and has credentials no-one in the province can contest.

Lets face it, he is one of the all time greats at his position. It takes a special mind, and a special drive, to do something like that. There is a reason so few can climb that particular mountain.

An ego comes along with this but an ego not really such a big deal if it is backed up. It is rare to find people having huge careers without them. What Roy will likely need is someone to help him hold on to his equilibrium if he goes on tilt. Oh look, Jeff Gorton.

Patrick Roy might surprise us as a finalist for this position. Whether Jeff Gorton and Roy can create a productive and advantageous scenario for themselves is an entirely different question, but as a hockey executive I imagine Patrick Roy would give up a great deal for a chance at this job.

Other candidates : Daniel Briere.