The French fact in hockey and in Montreal was well-established by the time the Maroons folded. If the Maroons had been left standing, I figure the only big difference would be that they'd be selling merchandise at the Bell Centre with a maroon M on it rather than the bleu, blanc, rouge and the CH.
Then, as now, the operation of a sports franchise was a business first and foremost. It would be very ill-advised to ignore local talent simply because they didn't speak the same language as management, particularly when that language i the one spoken by the vat majority of the folks the team would hope would sign on as fans, putting their bums in seats.
If both teams had tried to make a go of it? Interesting to speculate, especially since the NHL as a whole was on very shakey financial ground in those days. More than one franchise folded, some after relocating in the years leading up to what Baby Boomers insist on referring to as the "Original Six", a vanity that seems to indicate that everything began with the onset of their generation. Sorry, I digress.