No quick fix coming for Habs’ new GM
It says something about the unique position Kent Hughes assumed that a flood of people rushed to point out he spoke French immediately after the Montreal Canadiens named him their 18th general manager.
The longtime player agent grew up on the West Island and is indeed bilingual — a prerequisite for the job he’ll get a chance to demonstrate publicly during an introductory press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Hughes spent the last two decades living in the Boston area, which is where he first became acquainted with Jeff Gorton, his new boss in Montreal. He appeared to be Gorton’s top choice for the GM role from the outset of a six-week search that included former NHLers Daniel Brière, Mathieu Darche and Roberto Luongo, among others, with the most pressing question being whether he was willing to trade in the relative anonymity of his agent business for the spotlight that comes with one of hockey’s most glamorous jobs.
The decision was not as automatic as you might assume.
There was still some doubt about where things were headed as recently as the weekend, when Canadiens owner Geoff Molson travelled to Boston for a meeting with Hughes. They put the finishing touches on a five-year contract late Monday night.
The relentless scrutiny that came with the job wore on his predecessor, Marc Bergevin, and played a part in his departure from the organization earlier this season after failing to come to terms on a contract extension.
There is no NHL market quite like Montreal, where the team holds incredibly deep cultural ties and doesn’t share the local sporting landscape with a peer. The Canadiens are capable of commanding the public’s attention every day of the year even in a way the Maple Leafs can’t match.
At least Hughes will have the benefit of a beefed-up front office led by Gorton, who was named executive vice-president of hockey operations on Nov. 28, giving him someone to share the second-guessing with.
Of course, only he’ll be required to provide answers in both official languages to questions about the direction of the organization.
The ability to communicate to fans in both French and English was identified by Molson as a fundamental requirement of the job. It opened the door to a panel of candidates that didn’t include anyone with previous experience as a GM at the NHL level.
In Hughes the Canadiens found someone with a deep working knowledge of the industry thanks to more than 25 years as a player agent. He formerly represented Vincent Lecavalier and still had an active 20-player client list with Quartexx Hockey that included Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang, Darnell Nurse and Anthony Beauvillier.
The jump is not unprecedented, with Kyle Dubas and Florida’s Bill Zito among the current GMs who spent time as agents — although both worked their way into the big seat after first filling more junior front-office roles.
You might argue that hiring Brière, Luongo or even Darche would have scored more public-relations points among the Canadiens’ rabid fan base. Each is a known quantity in Quebec and no one would have felt the need to clarify their language status after the announcement.
The organization’s two top hockey executives now have deep ties to Boston, which won’t matter until it does.
Hughes joins the Canadiens in the middle of a season gone completely off the rails. They’ve fallen all the way to the NHL’s basement, punctuated by a loss in Arizona this week, and can only really find hope in the possibility of winning the No. 1 selection in a draft scheduled to be held at the Bell Centre in July.
That, and acquiring more future assets with trades ahead of the March 21 deadline.
As the glow of last year’s unexpected trip to the Stanley Cup Final fades further from view, an uncomfortable truth remains: Bergevin left the organization in a difficult, in-between state with too many bloated, long-term contracts and no clear path back to where they just were.
Whether or not a full-scale teardown is required will be the most important determination made by Hughes and Gorton in the weeks and months ahead.
It will determine what happens with franchise legend Carey Price — at least once his recovery from knee surgery is complete — and other loyal soldiers like Brendan Gallagher and Jeff Petry, who are both under contract for multiple seasons moving forward.
This doesn’t look like a quick fix. There could be more steps back before anyone is talking earnestly about the Canadiens chasing a 25th Stanley Cup banner, and it’s hard to know for certain how warmly that might be received.
Hughes was wise to push for the security of a five-year contract, both because of the successful business he’s leaving behind and what lies ahead.
This isn’t an easy job for anyone. It’s something completely new for him. CHRIS JOHNSTON IS A TORONTOBASED JOURNALIST WITH A NEW
GAMING COMPANY. HIS WORK WILL BE SEEN ON THE WEBSITE AND APP FOR THE NEW GAMING COMPANY, AND ALSO IN THE TORONTO STAR. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER: @REPORTERCHRIS