Marc Dumont
When the Montreal Canadiens announced that goaltender Carey Price had decided to check in to the NHL/NHLPA’s joint player assistance program last week, the Habs PR department revealed that general manager Marc Bergevin would not be negotiating a contract extension with the team during the season. Had it been another day, the news would have been the talk of the town, especially coming off the back of the team Bergevin constructed making it to the Stanley Cup Final in July. Now, rumblings across the league seem to indicate that the Montreal Canadiens general manager for more than a decade is more likely to walk away after the final year of his contract than stay. So, who could take the reins of the league’s most storied franchise with the pre-requisite that they be capable of speaking French? Let’s take a look at 5 candidates who could be the next general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.
The legend: Patrick Roy
For years, the return of King Patrick to the city where he was first crowned has always been acknowledged as possible but mentioned somewhat in jest. His latest appearance in the NHL was a three-year head coaching stint with the Colorado Avalanche between 2013-16 where he won the Jack Adams award for the league’s top coach. But in all honesty Roy’s time behind the bench in Denver is most fondly remembered for his confrontation between the benches with then Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau. Prior to that, Roy was the owner, general manager and head coach of the QMJHL’s Quebec City Remparts for eight seasons, winning the Memorial Cup in 2006. Roy does have experience as an organizational shot caller as he was also the vice-president of hockey operations with the Avs and reportedly had final say on all hockey related decisions. His fiery personality and reputation as a control freak could potentially be causes for concern. But his competitive nature is legendary and anything less than winning a Stanley Cup would be unacceptable in his eyes.
The agent: Pat Brisson
Brisson is one of the biggest movers and shakers in the NHL today and is also close friends with current Habs general manager Marc Bergevin. Alongside partner J.P. Barry at CAA, he runs the most powerful sports agency in the league. While Brisson has no previous management experience, he has cultivated relationships with everyone who is anyone in hockey and his knowledge of the salary cap is extensive. He would certainly need help from a pro-scouting perspective when it comes to evaluating talent. But agents have been crossing over to the other side of the negotiating table for years. Peter Chiarelli, Ray Shero and Dean Lombardi all won Stanley Cups with the Bruins, Penguins and Kings respectively after making the switch. The real question is why would Brisson want to give up his incredibly successful practice to become the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. At 56 years old, perhaps a new challenge in the hockey world would be appealing to the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield native.
The riser: Mathieu Darche
Darche was a fan favourite during his playing days with the Montreal Canadiens, a depth forward who willed his way into the NHL after bouncing around in the minors for nearly a decade. When he finally carved out a spot with the Habs between 2009-2012, he worked his way up the lineup through sheer will and determination. But it’s not his character that makes him such an attractive candidate for the Canadiens. It’s not even his commerce degree in marketing and international business from McGill University. It’s rather the fact that he has been learning the tricks of the trade from the man who would be the favourite for the post if he was available: Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois. As the Lightning’s director of hockey operations since May of 2019, Darche has had a first-hand look at the inner workings of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. Some of the moves Darche would have had his fingerprints on that led to multiple Cups include signing Patrick Maroon, acquiring forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow and picking up now-Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Savard. Not to mention being in meetings with draft guru Al Murray. With Brisebois having just signed a new contract, perhaps Darche feels that he has accomplished all he can in his current role with the Lightning. His winning pedigree with Tampa Bay would make him a no-brainer for the GM job with the Habs.
The in-house candidate: Martin Lapointe
If continuity is what the Montreal Canadiens have in mind, Lapointe would certainly be considered for the position. Even though Marc Bergevin would be leaving the club, it’s hard to imagine that his recommendation wouldn’t carry some weight with owner Geoff Molson after the two have been joined at the hip for a decade. Lapointe and Bergevin both worked together in the Chicago Blackhawks scouting department before Bergevin appointed Lapointe his director of player development with the Habs in 2012. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 2017 before having the title of director of amateur scouting added to his duties in January. Due to the Habs secrecy when it comes to front office decisions, it’s hard to determine exactly what Lapointe’s influence has been behind the scenes. But his long-standing relationship with Bergevin certainly suggests that he has been learning on the job for quite some time now. His tenure as director of player personnel has coincided with the best period of Bergevin’s time as GM, the much talked about reset that culminated with the team’s Stanley Cup appearance last season. If Marc Bergevin is leaving the team on his own terms and is not being ushered out the door, Molson would certainly consider his former general manager’s right-hand man as a ready-made replacement.
The runner-up: Pierre McGuire
McGuire, the former NBC hockey analyst, was widely reported as the other final candidate when Marc Bergevin was appointed general manager of the Montreal Canadiens in 2012. He finally got back into an NHL front office this offseason, joining the Ottawa Senators as vice-president of player development. So his viability as a candidate may seem strange from a timing perspective. But perhaps just a few months on the job has already convinced McGuire that all is not well in the nation’s capital. The organization is still locked in a baffling contract standoff with RFA forward Brady Tkachuk that has dragged on throughout the offseason and now threatens to likely keep Tkachuk out of the lineup for the start of the year. With the always volatile owner Eugene Melnyk presiding over the chaos, Ottawa is not exactly known for having continuity in their front office (see Alfredsson, Daniel). McGuire is a Montreal native, has worked in and knows the media landscape in the city, has deep connections throughout the hockey world, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the game and is a coaching disciple of Canadiens legend Scotty Bowman. If Bergevin were to leave, why not turn the team over to the man who nearly beat him out for the job in the first place?
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