Geoff Molson: “I think this team will be better managed with two people at the head of hockey operations”

The Montreal Canadiens are in need of a fresh start.

How fresh of a start? Well, one that involves the organization operating in a way never before seen in the National Hockey League.

Habs co-owner, president, and CEO Geoff Molson held a press conference in Montreal on Monday morning to address the decision to fire general manager Marc Bergevin and to bring in Jeff Gorton as the new executive vice-president of hockey operations.

“In the past, Marc [Bergevin] was accountable for hockey performance, now, there will be two,” Molson said. “I think this team and this organization will be better managed with two people at the head of hockey operations.”

What we’ll see next with the Habs is Gorton running the show behind the scenes, while somebody else who can communicate with the market in both French and English will be the public face of the operation. Molson also confirmed that Gorton has signed a long-term contract.

“A fresh start. I strongly believe that this organization needs a fresh start,” Molson said. “At this stage, a fresh start is not so much at the team level, but, rather, at the management level. On the ice, we have a team that is a lot better than the results show. 

“We’ve made 45 draft picks in the past five years since our reset and we have 11 more coming in Montreal this year. It’s essential that we structure our organization around properly developing this group of talent.”

The goal for this tandem will be to find more success at the draft table. Under Bergevin, who took over as general manager in 2012, the Habs selected only eight players who have played at least 100 games at the NHL level. Of those eight, Artturi Lehkonen is the only one still with the organization.

When asked about whether the team could enter a rebuilding phase, Molson hinted that it’s a possibility.

“I’m not afraid of that word and I think it’s something our fans are not afraid of,” Molson said.

The decision about jumping into a rebuild will be one made by Gorton and the general manager that the organization hires to work with him. The same goes for the team’s coaching staff, as Molson confirmed that the new tandem will decide if Dominique Ducharme and Co. remain behind the Habs’ bench.