HF Habs: Montreal Canadiens Hockey Ops (Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton, etc.)

[salbutera]

I don't think him not winning the GM job will make a difference. The guy seems too solidly entrenched. We'll take our chances with what can be poached after the draft is done.

I do wonder if enough coin is thrown Madden Jr’s direction if there would be interest - but it all depends on getting permission from Ducks since it won’t be a promo

 

[dinodebino]

- Montgomery. Seems to be the flavor of the month right now on this board.
- Groulx (my fav because I think he proved in Syracuse that he’s a good talent developper, a winner and a very competent bench coach). IF he changed.
- Roy (because). He’s got good comms skills and NO vet would dare test him like the country club is doing with Douche.
The others, I don’t know enough about them.

 

[Gravity]

- Montgomery. Seems to be the flavor of the month right now on this board.
- Groulx (my fav because I think he proved in Syracuse that he’s a good talent developper, a winner and a very competent bench coach). IF he changed.
- Roy (because). He’s got good comms skills and NO vet would dare test him like the country club is doing with Douche.
The others, I don’t know enough about them.

I agree with you on Groulx.

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

One of the most stressful pro sports jobs (Habs coach) is not what I would call the ideal locale for a recovering alcoholic….

I wonder if you could say it one more time in a 3rd way! lol, jk I got it but wow. That is a topic.

 

[Archijerej]

I like Montgomery, but for a rebuilding team Groulx would probably be a decent choice as well.

 

[Heffyhoof]

- Montgomery. Seems to be the flavor of the month right now on this board.
- Groulx (my fav because I think he proved in Syracuse that he’s a good talent developper, a winner and a very competent bench coach). IF he changed.
- Roy (because). He’s got good comms skills and NO vet would dare test him like the country club is doing with Douche.
The others, I don’t know enough about them.

I've got the same approach to our eventual new coach as I did Gorton and Hughes. I don't know nearly enough about any of them, so I will judge based upon relative performance and overall direction of the club.

 

[Maitz]

This team needs a real leader behind the bench, a coach that players will like to play for him like Brindamour

 

[Naslundforever]

One of the most stressful pro sports jobs (Habs coach) is not what I would call the ideal locale for a recovering alcoholic….

How? He’s not in nets or anything… I used to coach hockey; all you do is open the board door during the game after you counted off the lefties the righties and identified who can skate backwards. Oh yeah pucks and fill up the water bottles. Don’t forget those. The only difference at this level I would say is you go on tv and go “MHENUM MENUM-MENUMNNMENUM.”

 

[Vachon23]

- Montgomery. Seems to be the flavor of the month right now on this board.
- Groulx (my fav because I think he proved in Syracuse that he’s a good talent developper, a winner and a very competent bench coach). IF he changed.
- Roy (because). He’s got good comms skills and NO vet would dare test him like the country club is doing with Douche.
The others, I don’t know enough about them.

Groulx is probably the best coach in the Q in the last 20 years and he had success everywhere he went, but he's not the modern coach that Hughes describe that he wanted. Groulx is a little more old school who is tough and demanding with his players

 

[WeThreeKings]

I gotta wonder what we're doing here with player development.

It's low hanging fruit to send Caufield/Poehling to the AHL right now with the week break and Laval playing.

What the hell are we waiting for here?

 

[Whitesnake]

I gotta wonder what we're doing here with player development.

It's low hanging fruit to send Caufield/Poehling to the AHL right now with the week break and Laval playing.

What the hell are we waiting for here?

Very f***ing good question. No matter how new you are to a team, you HAD to see that both guys needed that trip down.

 

[Shred]

Groulx is probably the best coach in the Q in the last 20 years and he had success everywhere he went, but he's not the modern coach that Hughes describe that he wanted. Groulx is a little more old school who is tough and demanding with his players

I don't think Hughes means anything specific in terms of tactics, strategy or being tough with players vs coddling them when he says he wants a "modern" coach.

I've listened to all his interviews, and what Hughes wants is to build an analytics department to identify what is needed for success and how players are contributing in terms of strengths and weaknesses, then relay that information to the player development for targeted work on those aspects and to the coaching staff in order to place players in roles and situations that will maximize those strengths and minimize weaknesses.

So what he wants in a modern coach is someone who can collaborate with analytics and development, and be part of the overall team strategy of maximizing assets. Hughes has stated many times that he wants a coach that doesn't think he knows everything and is able to receive feedback and adapt.

On a semi related note, this all seems amazing to me as finally we might see things happen like putting a limited player in a role that will help him succeed then trade high, or simply letting the attributes of the players dictate team strategy, whereas coaches in the past might not have agreed to that (we're a grinding team, give me grinders or gtfo).

 

[Vachon23]

I don't think Hughes means anything specific in terms of tactics, strategy or being tough with players vs coddling them when he says he wants a "modern" coach.

I've listened to all his interviews, and what Hughes wants is to build an analytics department to identify what is needed for success and how players are contributing in terms of strengths and weaknesses, then relay that information to the player development for targeted work on those aspects and to the coaching staff in order to place players in roles and situations that will maximize those strengths and minimize weaknesses.

So what he wants in a modern coach is someone who can collaborate with analytics and development, and be part of the overall team strategy of maximizing assets. Hughes has stated many times that he wants a coach that doesn't think he knows everything and is able to receive feedback and adapt.

On a semi related note, this all seems amazing to me as finally we might see things happen like putting a limited player in a role that will help him succeed then trade high, or simply letting the attributes of the players dictate team strategy, whereas coaches in the past might not have agreed to that (we're a grinding team, give me grinders or gtfo).

The specific things that Hughes said that he want in a coach doesn't fit with Groulx who is style look a little bit like Therrien.

 

[WeThreeKings]

A couple quotes from the Athletic article today

1. Finally, Hughes admitted that in the interest of creating space, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a one-sided trade or two. “I wouldn’t rule out (…) a trade that doesn’t involve significant consideration coming back to us,” he said. “In other words, they’re taking a player and a contract, and we’re getting some flexibility with it.”

1. As far as the draft itself, Hughes already knows the Canadiens will be walking up on stage very early at the Bell Centre, and he is hoping – or even expects – to add another first-round pick by then, probably late in the first round.
2. Bergevin never believed in spending draft capital to move up in the draft. He tried once in 2013 in the hopes of drafting defenceman Samuel Morin, but watching how his career unfolded might have served as a lesson for Bergevin, making him reluctant to try again over the ensuing years and instead favouring quantity of picks over quality in order to have more darts to throw at the board. Hughes does not see it the same way. “If it was just darts on board, you wouldn’t spend a heck of a lot of money on a scouting staff. And I think we should spend more,” he said. “There’s going to be an element of uncertainty to the draft, no question about it. But in (the player representation) business, it’s been a hell of a lot more uncertain. We’ve recruited kids at 14-15 years of age, and we’ve never had the benefit of interviewing them and deciding whether we want to represent them…Whereas here, they go through psychological testing, they got all kinds of things that go on all these draft eligible players. “So, no, I believe in being able to identify and target and pick the right players.”

 

[CHwest]

- Montgomery. Seems to be the flavor of the month right now on this board.
- Groulx (my fav because I think he proved in Syracuse that he’s a good talent developper, a winner and a very competent bench coach). IF he changed.
- Roy (because). He’s got good comms skills and NO vet would dare test him like the country club is doing with Douche.
The others, I don’t know enough about them.

What do you mean by this?

 

[Deebs]

A couple quotes from the Athletic article today

1. Finally, Hughes admitted that in the interest of creating space, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a one-sided trade or two. “I wouldn’t rule out (…) a trade that doesn’t involve significant consideration coming back to us,” he said. “In other words, they’re taking a player and a contract, and we’re getting some flexibility with it.”

1. As far as the draft itself, Hughes already knows the Canadiens will be walking up on stage very early at the Bell Centre, and he is hoping – or even expects – to add another first-round pick by then, probably late in the first round.
2. Bergevin never believed in spending draft capital to move up in the draft. He tried once in 2013 in the hopes of drafting defenceman Samuel Morin, but watching how his career unfolded might have served as a lesson for Bergevin, making him reluctant to try again over the ensuing years and instead favouring quantity of picks over quality in order to have more darts to throw at the board. Hughes does not see it the same way. “If it was just darts on board, you wouldn’t spend a heck of a lot of money on a scouting staff. And I think we should spend more,” he said. “There’s going to be an element of uncertainty to the draft, no question about it. But in (the player representation) business, it’s been a hell of a lot more uncertain. We’ve recruited kids at 14-15 years of age, and we’ve never had the benefit of interviewing them and deciding whether we want to represent them…Whereas here, they go through psychological testing, they got all kinds of things that go on all these draft eligible players. “So, no, I believe in being able to identify and target and pick the right players.”

Thanks for sharing this

 

[Adam Michaels]

A couple quotes from the Athletic article today

1. Finally, Hughes admitted that in the interest of creating space, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a one-sided trade or two. “I wouldn’t rule out (…) a trade that doesn’t involve significant consideration coming back to us,” he said. “In other words, they’re taking a player and a contract, and we’re getting some flexibility with it.”

1. As far as the draft itself, Hughes already knows the Canadiens will be walking up on stage very early at the Bell Centre, and he is hoping – or even expects – to add another first-round pick by then, probably late in the first round.
2. Bergevin never believed in spending draft capital to move up in the draft. He tried once in 2013 in the hopes of drafting defenceman Samuel Morin, but watching how his career unfolded might have served as a lesson for Bergevin, making him reluctant to try again over the ensuing years and instead favouring quantity of picks over quality in order to have more darts to throw at the board. Hughes does not see it the same way. “If it was just darts on board, you wouldn’t spend a heck of a lot of money on a scouting staff. And I think we should spend more,” he said. “There’s going to be an element of uncertainty to the draft, no question about it. But in (the player representation) business, it’s been a hell of a lot more uncertain. We’ve recruited kids at 14-15 years of age, and we’ve never had the benefit of interviewing them and deciding whether we want to represent them…Whereas here, they go through psychological testing, they got all kinds of things that go on all these draft eligible players. “So, no, I believe in being able to identify and target and pick the right players.”

Refreshing.

 

[DAChampion]

Was the Bergevin administration misguided in targeting Samuel Morin, or did his career fail due to extraneous factors?

 

[MXD]

What do you mean by this?

Groulx was certainly and is still maybe a hard-ass coach to a certain extent. Hardassness isn't bad when measured, and Groulx was way above that measure.

Also not necessarily the best fit for a team looking for offensive-minded coach. Not an awful fit mind you, just no a great one.

What you will have with Groulx though is a coach that's able to outcoach most of NHL coaches.

 

[Gaud]

RE: the comments to Petry's wife, of course it's wrong and fans do need to have some introspection and realize that the social media comments are often over the line, and the organization can probably help shield/blunt some of the criticism, but I think it's pretty overblown as a reason why the team can't attract players. Yes, there are absolutely players that don't want the spotlight, but I think we treat ourselves as a little bit too special as Habs fans when the nature of Canadiens fan passion/psycho fans isn't really a super unique thing in the sports world.

Yes it sucks, yes the fan pressure in Montreal is relatively unique in the NHL in that it's only really equalled by Toronto, but there are other mega franchises in sports around the world and lots of them are much bigger than the Canadiens. The New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, LA Lakers, LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Manchester United, etc. don't have any trouble attracting big name players because of fan pressure. Like I said I think we just get a little too cute about this stuff as Habs fans and pretend that it's this unrivaled thing in the sports world.

Agree with it all, and its so much more than that too! There are cases where québequois players went on free agency and Mtl was interested. The players that opted for a team other than Mtl are seen as some kind of traitor, especially if the media pressure is seen as the main reason for the player not coming. That's right, they get mtl media pressure even if they dont play for mtl.

 

[EXPOS123]

A couple quotes from the Athletic article today

1. Finally, Hughes admitted that in the interest of creating space, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a one-sided trade or two. “I wouldn’t rule out (…) a trade that doesn’t involve significant consideration coming back to us,” he said. “In other words, they’re taking a player and a contract, and we’re getting some flexibility with it.”

1. As far as the draft itself, Hughes already knows the Canadiens will be walking up on stage very early at the Bell Centre, and he is hoping – or even expects – to add another first-round pick by then, probably late in the first round.
2. Bergevin never believed in spending draft capital to move up in the draft. He tried once in 2013 in the hopes of drafting defenceman Samuel Morin, but watching how his career unfolded might have served as a lesson for Bergevin, making him reluctant to try again over the ensuing years and instead favouring quantity of picks over quality in order to have more darts to throw at the board. Hughes does not see it the same way. “If it was just darts on board, you wouldn’t spend a heck of a lot of money on a scouting staff. And I think we should spend more,” he said. “There’s going to be an element of uncertainty to the draft, no question about it. But in (the player representation) business, it’s been a hell of a lot more uncertain. We’ve recruited kids at 14-15 years of age, and we’ve never had the benefit of interviewing them and deciding whether we want to represent them…Whereas here, they go through psychological testing, they got all kinds of things that go on all these draft eligible players. “So, no, I believe in being able to identify and target and pick the right players.”

Finally, a gm with brains. Another example of the ineptitude of our former moron gm Bozovin- thinking he was smarter than everyone else with his logic of trading down for lower picks in worse draft years. How did the hell was he able to keep his job for 9 freaking years?! Unbelievable...

On another note, i would really like to hear Hughes come out and say they will be major players for the best college and European free agents as this is like found money which they have been extremely poor at exploiting.No more of these Waked, Verbeek, jevpalovs useless signings.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Was the Bergevin administration misguided in targeting Samuel Morin, or did his career fail due to extraneous factors?

Misguided.

Morin sucked and I did not want him at all.

 

[Gaud]

I still don't get how they think Price could be part of this organization going forward. I know they can't really say anything to us, but I hope they aren't planning on keeping him. Too many issues and too much money tied up with this guy. We're seeing the issues this team has without stability in goal. (I know, there's more to it than that)

I believe most of what Price said, that he likes Mtl and that it's his home. I also think that he will want to try to win the cup at least once and that this is not going to happen in mtl. If this is the case, Price's best play is to come back before the end of the season and show he is 100% so that he is "tradable" at his highest value for the Mtl. Some players just pressure organisations into trading them ASAP, but i think Price will show class and allow the habs a return that doesnt hurt them. I hope the habs take this time to put Primeau in Price's environment for development purposes

 

[MXD]

Was the Bergevin administration misguided in targeting Samuel Morin, or did his career fail due to extraneous factors?

The games played tally is quite revealing. Two torn ACL in less than a year, and so on.

Probably would've ended up a rich-man Tinordi (AKA, not much), but there are reasons to believe he was legitimately hampered by injuries.

 

[Schwang]

A couple quotes from the Athletic article today

1. Finally, Hughes admitted that in the interest of creating space, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a one-sided trade or two. “I wouldn’t rule out (…) a trade that doesn’t involve significant consideration coming back to us,” he said. “In other words, they’re taking a player and a contract, and we’re getting some flexibility with it.”

1. As far as the draft itself, Hughes already knows the Canadiens will be walking up on stage very early at the Bell Centre, and he is hoping – or even expects – to add another first-round pick by then, probably late in the first round.
2. Bergevin never believed in spending draft capital to move up in the draft. He tried once in 2013 in the hopes of drafting defenceman Samuel Morin, but watching how his career unfolded might have served as a lesson for Bergevin, making him reluctant to try again over the ensuing years and instead favouring quantity of picks over quality in order to have more darts to throw at the board. Hughes does not see it the same way. “If it was just darts on board, you wouldn’t spend a heck of a lot of money on a scouting staff. And I think we should spend more,” he said. “There’s going to be an element of uncertainty to the draft, no question about it. But in (the player representation) business, it’s been a hell of a lot more uncertain. We’ve recruited kids at 14-15 years of age, and we’ve never had the benefit of interviewing them and deciding whether we want to represent them…Whereas here, they go through psychological testing, they got all kinds of things that go on all these draft eligible players. “So, no, I believe in being able to identify and target and pick the right players.”

I'm very happy he came out and said this first point. I think hes completely right in that some of these guys will be salary dumps, yet he'll get critisized for not getting what the media thinks is a proper return. Even amongst fans, we tend to over rate the value of these guys (re: Gallagher imho) . I'm very happy he came out and said this.