If Marc Bergevin is fired, who do you want for next Habs GM ?

[ottawa]

Ross Mahoney is the clear cut choice imo

 

[dcyhabs]

People are saying that the players are reading HF habs and that they are affected by what is written here. It leaves me to wonder if Bergevin has skin composed of leather?

He doesn't strike me as the type who reads a lot.

 

[Gains]

I think Mathieu Darche is the best candidate from the list. Super smart guy with a vision.

 

[salbutera]

I think Mathieu Darche is the best candidate from the list. Super smart guy with a vision.

What’s his vision exactly?

 

[1909]

He will be for sure a candidate but I think Vincent (same agency and Rot know him very well) and Hartley would be consider to

Molson with lowered revenues due to COVID, will not throw lots of money for a guy like Hartley, who just said he is retiring. Molson will have to pay one more year of Julien's and Bergevin's salaries (10 M$ at least) + New GM + new head coach. Groulx would be an affordable hiring. Too bad that Ducharme doesn't seem the solution.

 

[Sorinth]

I hear what you're saying, but this team is steps from tanking, regardless of whether KK/Suzuki become legitimate centers. Let's say that MTL moves on from their three key older vets (Weber, Price, Petry) and doesn't make any major signings, but retains RFAs.

Toffoli-Suzuki-Anderson
Drouin-Kotkaniemi-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Evans-Caufield

Edmundson-Romanov
Chiarot-Kulak

Unless those two plus Caufied become elite players, this top-9 and top-4 isn't making it out of the bottom five teams in the league.

If Suzuki & Kotkaniemi both become 60-70 point 2-way centers then it's an extremely strong top-6, and we'd have a bottom-6 that doesn't produce much but also doesn't hurt us. So overall I think the forward group would be pretty decent.

I get that the D would be atrocious but the thing is with the right system you can get a weak D group to play decent, especially if you have a forward group that can help in the transition. So even with that lineup if we got average goaltending and a good coach I don't think we would end up at the bottom of the league. If only 1 or none of Suzuki/Kotkaniemi break out then that's out the window and we suck. It's been so long since we've had a real 1st line C that I think we forget how much their presence is felt throughout the lineup.

 

[Sorinth]

Roy doesn’t own the team...if the consortium says “rebuild is an unacceptable option” as they told everyone who interviewed for the GM gig in 2012...it’s not going to happen.

Any proof to this claim that's what everyone was told back in 2012?

 

[Sorinth]

What’s his vision exactly?

This is why the poll is pointless. We need that question answered for every candidate to have any idea who the GM should be.

 

[Runner77]

We don't need a Hockey President, we need a good GM. When the GM will make his job and bring this team a contender NO ONE will talk about the president.. No one is talking about having a hockey president in Tampa/Detroit/Colorado because there GM is making the job

On the contrary, we may get mileage out of a President that the markets you named, cannot.

We have a language imperative to deal with that those other markets, don’t. Maybe having a French speaking Pres. could provide some hiring latitude with the GM, by way of example. Just a thought.

 

[salbutera]

Any proof to this claim that's what everyone was told back in 2012?

McGuire has said many times he was specifically told by Molson & fellow consortium owner Andlauer during interview process “rebuild is not an acceptable option for ownership”.

Molson also stated “ownership expects the team to be immediately competitive” at his PC introducing MB as the new GM

 

[Runner77]

McGuire has said many times he was specifically told by Molson & fellow consortium owner Andlauer during interview process “rebuild is not an acceptable option for ownership”.

Molson also stated “ownership expects the team to be immediately competitive” at his PC introducing MB as the new GM

That was ownership’s mandate for this GM. Is it still the same now or for the next GM?

 

[Vachon23]

McGuire has said many times he was specifically told by Molson & fellow consortium owner Andlauer during interview process “rebuild is not an acceptable option for ownership”.

Molson also stated “ownership expects the team to be immediately competitive” at his PC introducing MB as the new GM

To be fair, in 2012 Price/Pacioretty/Subban we entering there prime Markov was 33 and Pleky 29, it wasn't time for a fool rebuild but to bring the pieces to help those guys what was not done

 

[salbutera]

That was ownership’s mandate for this GM. Is it still the same now or for the next GM?

There’s been 15+ months of no revenue intake from a top-2 arena in North America for event scheduling....

If anything MBs going all out and declaring “we can play anyway & we expect to win” was also mandated by ownership...

Let me repeat this again, Mtls disposable income levels at corporate base or individual levels do not come close to Toronto or NYC levels, that’s why Bell Center has the highest tix prices in the NHL.

Notice how Molson came out a couple of weeks back and said “retool is over”? That was clear message sending, ownership wants & expects to makeup for the huge losses suffered due to pandemic.

 

[Vachon23]

On the contrary, we may get mileage out of a President that the markets you named, cannot.

We have a language imperative to deal with that those other markets, don’t. Maybe having a French speaking Pres. could provide some hiring latitude with the GM, by way of example. Just a thought.

Not that I'm against hiring a president but I just prefer putting that money on the scouting staff/development team/pro scout/analytic that I do think are more important then a president

 

[Vachon23]

Molson with lowered revenues due to COVID, will not throw lots of money for a guy like Hartley, who just said he is retiring. Molson will have to pay one more year of Julien's and Bergevin's salaries (10 M$ at least) + New GM + new head coach. Groulx would be an affordable hiring. Too bad that Ducharme doesn't seem the solution.

Your probably right for Hartley but Vincent won't cost that much either

 

[Runner77]

There’s been 15+ months of no revenue intake from a top-2 arena in North America for event scheduling....

If anything MBs going all out and declaring “we can play anyway & we expect to win” was also mandated by ownership...

Let me repeat this again, Mtls disposable income levels at corporate base or individual levels do not come close to Toronto or NYC levels, that’s why Bell Center has the highest tix prices in the NHL.

Montreal has ranked third overall in revenue intake over many years now (save during the pandemic obviously) — that’s not insignificant and should resume after COVID no longer prevents full attendance.

 

[BLONG7]

McGuire has said many times he was specifically told by Molson & fellow consortium owner Andlauer during interview process “rebuild is not an acceptable option for ownership”.

Molson also stated “ownership expects the team to be immediately competitive” at his PC introducing MB as the new GM

The big picture here is ownership IS the problem

 

[salbutera]

Montreal has ranked third overall in revenue intake over many years now — that’s not insignificant and should resume after COVID no longer prevents full attendance.

Established businesses do not operate on hoping to generate revenue...they will only take risks if a certain revenue level is guaranteed

 

[Runner77]

Not that I'm against hiring a president but I just prefer putting that money on the scouting staff/development team/pro scout/analytic that I do think are more important then a president

Me too but we have challenges that are particular to this market and that Pres. position gives us flexibility. Plus, it’s not one position that will kill the budget. Geoff is still getting paid now for being a fake hockey executive so that money can be repurposed.

 

[salbutera]

The big picture here is ownership IS the problem

But it’s been that way for a long time, an American had to step in to buy the team at bargain bin price 20-years ago - only after getting a sweetheart loan from the provincial Govt

Go further back, ownership changed hands 6-times in. 25-years despite winning 16-Cups, and they had to force the GM involved in 10-of those Cups to step aside for a businessman to takeover as GM

Mtl/Quebec has no Mark Cuban or Steve Ballmer...that’s the real issue

 

[Runner77]

Established businesses do not operate on hoping to generate revenue...they will only take risks if a certain revenue level is guaranteed

You’re stating the obvious but you also left out how established business also understand risk and the calculated kind and that there is leverage and advantage to be had with a proven market product by being first at the trough.

 

[salbutera]

You’re stating the obvious but you also left out how established business also understand risk and the calculated kind and that there is leverage and advantage to be had with a proven market product by being first at the trough.

Who knows exactly what Mtls economy will yield post-Covid? It’s always been fragile. There is no Wall Street or Bay Street, there is no boutique investment banks. The one dominant corporate piece Bombardier is in shambles. Mtls tried to pivot hard to tech sector but they’re small players or satellite offices w HQ in other parts

For pro-sports the nice to have small businesses cannot be counted on as corporate stalwarts vs big banks / investment banks and their off shoots who are too big to fail

 

[Captain Mountain]

But it’s been that way for a long time, an American had to step in to buy the team at bargain bin price 20-years ago. Go further back, ownership changed hands 6-times in. 25-years despite winning 16-Cups, and they had to force the GM involved in 10-of those Cups to step aside for a businessman to takeover as GM

Mtl/Quebec has no Mark Cuban or Steve Ballmer...that’s the real issue

Sorry, this is BS. You don't need to have Cuban/Ballmer to have good ownership.

The best sports ownership group in the Canada is probably MLSE, which is basically Rogers, Bell and Larry Tennanbaum. Their model is to pretty much pick a smart, connected President (Shanahan - Leafs, Ujiri - Raptors, Manning - TFC/Argos) and let them do what needs to be done.

 

[habdynasty]

Davey Desarais

 

[Runner77]

Who knows exactly what Mtls economy will yield post-Covid? It’s always been fragile. There is no Wall Street or Bay Street, there is no boutique investment banks. The one dominant corporate piece Bombardier is in shambles.

For pro-sports the nice to have small businesses cannot be counted on as corporate stalwarts who are too big to fail

Businesses find ways to bounce back after economic crises, it’s mostly the poorly run ones that fail during a crisis. Hockey is and always will be the number 1 game in town and for many, it’s the only game. That will not change when a modicum of normalcy returns.