His name had circulated when Jeff Gorton was hired as vice-president of hockey operations for the Canadiens and now he has resurfaced. Agent Kent Hughes would still be in the race as we enter the second phase of interviews for the position of general manager.
Posted at 9:29 p.m.
At least that is what the information collected by The Press, which The Athletic colleague Pierre LeBrun also posted on Friday night.
It should come as no surprise that Hughes, a Montrealer of origin who has been living in Boston for several years, is entitled to a second interview in the coming days, but it has been impossible to confirm the information.
According to Sportsnet colleague Eric Engels, former players Mathieu Darche and Daniel Brière are also involved, in a process that should accelerate this weekend. The Ducks, Canucks and Blackhawks are also looking for a GM, so teams can’t afford to stretch the process before hiring their support person.
It is not clear if other candidates remain in the game or if Hughes, Darche and Brière are the three finalists. As is often the case in these situations, the process remains relatively opaque.
Long history
Of all the candidates discussed, Hughes is the one whose ties to Gorton are the most obvious. They met in Boston, Gorton’s hometown. The world of hockey is small and their ties prove it. Kent Hughes’ brother, Ryan, was drafted by the Nordiques in 1990, but then found himself in the Bruins organization when Gorton served as scouting director there.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The vice-president of hockey operations of the Canadiens, Jeff Gorton.
Gorton and Hughes have also done business together, notably through Patrice Bergeron, one of the biggest names that Hughes represents. Gorton was assistant general manager in Boston when the Bruins drafted Bergeron in 2003.
Once he became general manager of the New York Rangers, Gorton made a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes to get the 216and and second to last pick in the 2018 draft. With that pick, Rangers drafted Kent’s son Riley Hughes.
Although he left Montreal several years ago, Hughes is still fluent in French.
He also counts a multitude of Quebecers among his clients. According to the specialized site Puckpedia, in addition to Bergeron, he notably represents Kristopher Letang, Anthony Beauvillier, Marco Scandella, Michael Matheson, Samuel Blais and William Carrier.
At the Canadian, Hughes does not personally have any clients, but his firm, Quartexx Management, represents Josh Anderson and Michael Pezzetta, again according to data from Puckpedia.
In addition to the aforementioned names, Hughes is also the agent for Darnell Nurse, Drake Batherson and up-and-coming Avalanche forward Alex Newhook.
At 51, he is one of the oldest candidates among the main names circulating.
The Darche-Andlauer links
That said, Jeff Gorton is not alone in this candidate search process. He is supported by Geoff Molson, owner and president of the Canadiens, by former player, coach and GM Bob Gainey, as well as by Michael Andlauer, a minority owner of the Canadiens.
According to what has been learned, Darche and Andlauer also have a certain history. Andlauer owned the Hamilton Bulldogs when that team was the Canadiens’ farm club in the American League. Darche was the Bulldogs captain in 2009-10.
During his playing career, Darche was represented by Don Meehan, who is said to be very close to Andlauer.
Darche is currently director of hockey operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, having worked in the business world following his playing career. While some of the candidates circulating could very well be retained for other functions (assistant GM, for example), it would be hard to see Darche leaving the Lightning to join a division rival without obtaining a significant promotion.
Finally, Daniel Brière is president of the Maine Mariners, an ECHL team, and also helps the Philadelphia Flyers in player development.
Since retiring as a player in 2015, Brière has also worked in the administration of the Philadelphia Flyers. In parallel, he also studied at the Wharton School of Finance, a branch of the University of Pennsylvania. In short, he has given himself all the tools to progress in the administration of hockey.