The next CEO: options

With the arrival of Jeff Gorton as executive vice president of hockey operations, the search for the next general manager is underway. Having an experienced man at the top of the hierarchy will at the very least give Geoff Molson some safety net if he wishes to hire a less experienced GM. Here are some names that we are likely to see pass. All speak French, a hiring criterion mentioned in the press release announcing the departure of Marc Bergevin. Most of these candidates also have contracts at the moment, which could postpone their hiring until the off-season.

Guillaume Lefrançois
Press

Martin Madden Jr.

In the shadows, at the Anaheim Ducks, Madden performed small miracles in the draft. Year after year, he finds players who establish themselves in the NHL, even in the late rounds. Sami Vatanen (4^e tour, 2009), William Karlsson (2^e tour, 2011), Josh Manson (6^e tour, 2011) and Frederik Andersen (3^e round, 2012) have all exceeded 400 games even though they were drafted after the first round. Other names will be added to this list in the coming years. Unlike many candidates, he never played at a high level, and obtained an MBA in finance at HEC Montreal. Note that he works in an organization which is also looking for a CEO. And does a great talent assessor necessarily make a good GM?

Patrick roy

Ultra-popular, ultra-charismatic, but with an explosive personality. To be convinced of this, we recall the circumstances of his departure from the Colorado Avalanche: in the middle of summer, one month before training camp, with a press release issued by an external firm, to which the Avalanche took more time. ‘an hour to react. This three-year term was Roy’s only job in the NHL, which still earned him the Jack-Adams Trophy in 2014. He wants to return, however, having even hired an agent last April, an approach that was advertised.

Mathieu Darche

When we talk about the possibilities offered by the presence of an experienced man like Gorton, the example of Darche is striking. The former forward is only in his third year as an NHL manager, serving as the Lightning’s director of hockey operations. In addition to his 250-game experience as a player, he was involved in the collective agreement negotiating committees of the NHL Players Association and the Professional Hockey Players Association, which represents players from the NHL. American League. Let’s add his experience of the business world at Delmar. A slipper with that?

Roberto luongo

His official title with the Panthers: special advisor to the general manager, a position he was given in November 2019, just a few months after he hung up his Koho. He added to his responsibilities the management of the “department of goalkeeper excellence”, the name the Panthers gave to their organization chart of masked men. The Montrealer also served as general manager for Canada at the World Championships, and deputy GM for the Olympics. His career clearly seems to point towards a position of general manager, but is he already there, at 42 years old?

Marc Denis

His name never really got around in the media. He does an exceptional job there, remaining very popular in his role as analyst at RDS, where he has withstood the wear and tear that comes with analyzing 60 games per year for 10 years. But he has never hidden his interest in management and accumulates experiences, first with the Saguenéens, now at the head of the hockey development committee launched by Quebec. Denis has traveled to all 30 NHL cities for a decade and is known for his meticulous work. It’s obviously very rare for a first NHL job to be one of GM, but who knows what an experienced entourage can accomplish.

Pierre Dorion

Basically, the suggestion is crazy, since he has just renewed his contract as Senators GM until 2025. That said, we also find in Ottawa Pierre McGuire, who certainly has aspirations; he applied to become GM of the Canadiens in 2012. Moreover, Dorion’s silence in the media, since Brady Tkachuk’s new deal in October, has raised questions in the Canadian capital. Nevertheless, Dorion’s return to Montreal (he was a scout there from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s) would be surprising. His many blunders during his interviews in the media would alone justify the creation of a new sports channel.

John sedgwick

We guess that internal candidates will be active at the Canadian! In the staff of the Canadian, in the club of the “big arms”, Sedgwick detonated, by his training in law and because he was one of the rare people of the organization chart to have never played in the NHL. Vice-President, Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs, Sedgwick has learned French in recent years and even answered questions in Paul Berval’s language at a press briefing last January. Sedgwick is responsible in particular for managing the salary cap and matters relating to the collective agreement. He also worked for the NHL for seven years.