Montreal Canadiens: Major changes made in the front office

What a difference a season makes. Last season the Montreal Canadiens were on the brink of a StanleyCup, and this season the team is in complete turmoil.

The Canadiens cleaned house in the front office, firing Executive Vice President and General Manager Marc Bergevin, Assistant General Manager Trevor Timmins, and Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Paul Wilson.

Bergevin held the General Manager position from May 2, 2012, until November 28, 2021, Timmins, who spent 17 seasons in Montreal overseeing the Montreal Canadiens amateur scouting system, was promoted to Assistant General Manager in 2017, and Wilson, who was hired 3 years ago to oversee all aspects of public affairs and communication for Groupe CH.

During the shocking announcement, the Canadiens made another announcement. The Canadiens hired former New York Rangers General Manager Jeff Gorton to the role of Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.

Gorton previously worked for the Rangers as a General Manager from 2015 until May 2021. He will be one of the ones counted on to change the makeup of the team.

What’s next for the storied franchise? Who will be the next General Manager in charge of making this team competitive again?

The two names that jump out are former Montreal Canadiens legends, Patrick Roy and Daniel Briere. Roy would make the Canadiens a household name again due to his tenure with the team in previous years.

This was not the only news regarding the Canadiens over the past few days. On Saturday, Scott Mellanby announced his resignation as Assistant General Manager. He was hired shortly after Bergevin was hired.

A lot of changes this week for Montreal. The question is not who fills these spots but will these changes ultimately result in another Stanley Cup for Montreal?

Changes needed to be made. Now that things are in motion when do those changes see a change in the team itself?