Habs Hires Update

Whenever prompted, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin continues to utter that he has no specific deadline or timetable for making any hire.  He wants to go through a thorough process, he'll say, and examine all possible candidates.  That's all fine and good, but it has left Hab fans everywhere itching for news on a daily basis.  Who will be hired as coach?  When will his new front office staff be announced?  What about his scouts?

Well, the coaching situation appears to be at a standstill.  Darren Dreger on TSN Sporscentre last night indicated that there is no clear frontrunner for the position at this time, though he did mention the widely speculated names of Marc Crawford, Bob Hartley, and Michel Therrien.  One hold-up could be that Gerard Gallant, a popular candidate and my personal choice, is still currently coaching the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Memorial Cup, meaning any interviews with him would likely still be a few days away.  The caveat with Gallant is that he doesn't really speak French, though he can understand a fair bit after coaching several seasons in the QMJHL.

There is some movement on other fronts, however.  Thanks to Twitter follower @HabsLinks, an article HERE has confirmed today that the Canadiens have hired Bobby Kinsella (pictured at left) as a new scout for the mid-western United States.  He will be based in Chicago, covering primarily the USHL, but also the NCAA, and top-tiered high school and midget programs.  Prior to this move, the Habs had Ryan Jankowski scouting both western Canada and the western U.S.A., while also having Pat Westrum focused on amateur scouting in the west of the U.S.  No indication as of yet how the hiring of Kinsella will impact the geographic coverage, but adding additional scouts was one of Bergevin's missions from day 1, and will likely only help Montreal at the draft table moving forward.  I suspect the move will be good for Canadian scouting as well, with one likely option being that Jankowski now devote all of his energies just to the WHL, though Elmer Benning currently has that focus as well.

Kinsella most recently served as both Assistant Coach and Director of Scouting for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.  There are some interesting ties here, as the team's General Manager and Head Coach is former Hab Jim Montgomery, and the club just selected top 2012 prospect Mark Jankowski - nephew of the aforemention Hab scout Ryan - in the USHL entry draft.  (Might Kinsella push for the team to take Mark at pick 33?)  Moreover, Kinsella spent five years as an Assistant Coach and Scout with the Sioux City Musketeers, one of which was during Max Pacioretty's season there in 2006-07 just prior to his selection by the Canadiens.  In between these two stints, Kinsella also spent two seasons as Head Coach and GM of the Boston Junior Rangers, a Midget AAA-U18 club, so all in all, he seems to be a good hockey person well experienced at working with and watching younger talent, while still young himself with room to grow in the organization at age 37.

A bit of news announced yesterday was that Scott Mellanby was stepping down from his role as Assistant Coach with the St. Louis Blues to pursue other opportunities, stating that his hear was in hockey operations rather than coaching.  TSN's Bob McKenzie was quick to Tweet that it wouldn't be a surprise if Mellanby - a Montreal native who speaks at least a bit of French - surfaces as one of Marc Bergevin's Assistants in Montreal.  After completing his playing career of over 1,400 games in 2006-07, Mellanby worked for three seasons as a Scout and Special Consultant to the GM with the Vancouver Canucks, before moving on to spend the last two seasons behind the bench in St. Louis.  Given his relative inexperience, it would be interesting to see what kind of role Montreal might offer him and what this means for Rick Dudley joining the organization - a process that appears mysteriously stalled, though the team might simply be opting to wait until after the draft to avoid any accusations of tampering (though Dreger Tweeted this morning that it is likely to happen prior to draft day).  One likely scenario is that if both are to join the organization, Mellanby might gain experience by being tabbed GM of the Hamilton Bulldogs, while Dudley would cover Pro Scouting.

These are the names being thrown around as of today, but the talk is only likely to intensify as we move towards the draft and July 1st, or particularly as Bergevin has had more days on the job.  Whatever the case, with more and more negative perceptions of the old Gauthier / Gainey / Martin regime coming out all the time, all of these new names are a breath of fresh air.

A Day as Habs GM: Getting Rid of Gomez

As the real Marc Bergevin spends today in Shawinigan getting ready to take in some of the action with four Montreal Canadiens prospects taking part in this week's Memorial Cup, and with a planned update on the coaching situation for the media this afternoon, I thought I'd take a different docket off his hands.  So today, we'll enter his shoes to address the up-in-the-air Scott Gomez situation.

If you'll remember back to the day Bergevin was hired, there was a non-sensical rumour circulated by Dave Morissette of TVASports that a decision had already been taken to buy the remaining 2 seasons of Gomez's contract out.  Considering that the NHL's buyout period doesn't open until June 15 or 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup finals should they run longer, there would be no point in making that kind of a decision in early May.  Besides, a buyout is only one of a few possible options the Canadiens have, so today we look at the scenarios and assess the best case.


Buy Him Out
While the first rumour is almost certainly a garbage source trying to pre-empt actual news just to claim they were first (aka Anonymous Hockey Blogging 101), it isn't impossible that the organization decides on this route come mid-June.  A buyout for a player in Gomez's category is set at 2/3 of the remaining dollars on his deal, split over double the remaining contract length.  Thanks to the calculator from CapGeek.com, we'd get this as the math for a buyout this summer:

So Geoff Molson would save a few bucks not having to pay Scottie, but the problem with this option is the last column, "Buyout Cap Hit."  Buy buying out his contract, the Canadiens would be handicapping themselves by this amount for each of the next four years, reducing the amount they'd be allowed to spend on their team, and putting the team at a disadvantage compared to other cap-spending clubs.  For a team with the financial resources to spend to the cap and beyond, this sort of management would be an injustice to fans, limiting the club's ability to ice the best roster possible.  Besides, Georges Laraque's buyout just finally came off the team's cap at the conclusion of this season, though it was a penalty of only $500,000 this year.

Fortunately, Geoff Molson alluded to the fact that he was open to alternatives other than the buyout, indicated that his team's budget wouldn't be limited (within reason of course) when it came to building a winning team.  So it seems unlikely he will force Bergevin's hand to go this route.  So aside from saving a few bucks, why would the team do it?  Well it's the most beneficial option for Gomez himself, collecting a payout and allowing him to shop his services to other clubs where he may be more welcome.  But Montreal owes Gomez nothing; the team isn't even the one who signed him to the deal in the first place.  They've paid him considerable money only to underperform, so why do him a favour?

That said, the fact that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement must be negotiated before we can play another season of NHL hockey complicates the situation a bit.  We don't know how a new CBA would change the options available to the team.  Will there be a clause that prevents clubs from hiding veteran salaries in the AHL?  Will the structure of buyouts change?  If so, this option might become more attractive.  Alternatively, will the new CBA provide a cap hit-free "amnesty" buyout mechanism for one short period of time?  If so, a buyout of that variety likely becomes the top possibility.



Let Him Play
Since buying him out under current rules makes little sense, imposing a four-year penalty on the team, another line of thinking is to simply let him play, at least for one more season.  There is the slim chance that he finds chemistry with someone else on the roster and shows a semblance of productivity, and either way, his deal becomes that much more manageable with another season ticked off, whether it's by finding a trade partner ("reasonable" salary due for a non-cap team) or buying it out at a smaller penalty.  For reference, the buyout one year from now would look just like the following, again thanks to CapGeek:

The problems with this option are many as well, however.  First, there is the likely scenario that Gomez doesn't perform much better than either of the past two seasons, in which case the team is simply better off without him.  The club is far better off with David Desharnais, Tomas Plekanec, and Lars Eller down the middle, and Gomez isn't the kind of player you would want on a fourth line.  Even moving him to the wing would not be ideal, as developing Louis Leblanc or re-signing Travis Moen fill greater needs in both the short- and long-term.  Essentially, this team wouldn't want Gomez on the roster for ANY dollar amount.  Then there is the off-ice distraction and constant media scrutiny/questioning that will accompany an unproductive Gomez on the squad.  Plus the immediate heat/pressure on Bergevin for not addressing $7.357 M in wasted cap space.  Thus, for all of these reasons, it seems very safe to conclude that we've seen Scott Gomez play his final game in a Canadiens jersey, and that "letting him play" isn't a good option.



Trade Him
This option, also known as the "easier said than done," has been a hope of Canadiens' fans for most of the past two years.  Find a team willing to take on Gomez's contract for some reason or another.  Any possible trade would fall under one of two possible circumstances, if not both.  First is the Canadiens sacrificing a significant future asset, such as a top prospect or high draft pick.  The second would be the team taking back a similar bad contract (or multiple smaller bad contracts), with both teams hoping that a change of scenery is all their disappointing players needed to kick it up a notch.  For example, it's pretty clear the Carolina Hurricanes are fed up with Tomas Kaberle and don't want to pay him $4.25M for each of the next two seasons, so maybe something could be done there.  Wait, what's that?  The Habs already took Kaberle off the 'Canes hands?  Without making them take anything long-term back?  My bad, I thought that was a delusional nightmare.

But seriously, who are some players teams out there might want to get rid of for Gomez?  There's Shawn Horcoff in Edmonton, whose cap hit is about $1.8M less than Gomez's annually and who scored just 13 goals and 34 points in 81 games this season.  Reason for Montreal to do it? Horcoff brings size at 6'1", 202 lbs.  Reason for Edmonton to do it?  Horcoff has three seasons remaining versus Gomez's two.  Jay Bouwmeester hasn't panned out since joining the Calgary Flames from the Florida Panthers, with 29 points and a -21 rating in 81 games this season.  Joining a new team might help his career, and Montreal could use a top pairing defender, so even though his cap hit is only $700,000 less than Gomez's, it might kill two birds with one stone.  Like with Horcoff, the reasoning for Calgary would be that Bouwmeester has three years left vs. two for Gomez.




Waive Him
Saving likely the best for last, the Canadiens could waive Scott Gomez in the Fall.  There are two possible paths in this case; one would be to take a decision immediately, and then exceed the cap by up to Gomez's cap hit this summer, in which case it's likely he would not even attend the team's training camp.  The other is to bring him to camp and see how he performs.  Keep him around if the math works out (i.e. the Habs weren't able to add any other contributing big dollar players) and he earns his spot; waive him by camp's end if there is no fit.

Placing Gomez on waivers means offering him and his contract to any team "for free."  No team will take him (though if one would, it would mean the Canadiens be off the hook for the remainder of his deal in entirety), and then the Habs would be free to assign him to another league, ridding them of his cap hit.  The most common route would be to send him to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, where he might help young players adapt to the pro ranks and fill a scoring need the 'Dogs are likely to have.  It is likely the team first gives him an option to explore possibilities of playing in Europe, where they could (at least under current CBA terms) loan him to a club that would take him and again be off the hook (cap hit wise) for all of his remaining dollars.  The Canadiens are a highly profitable organization, and can afford to pay Gomez $10M over the next two seasons to play for other clubs, saving the $14.7M in cap space.  That makes waiving him the best possible plan, which Habs fan should hope Bergevin opts for.

A Day as Habs GM: A Tour of the Front Office

Before he gets to addressing matters like Scott Gomez, Tomas Kaberle, or anyone in the team's line-up, new Canadiens General Manager Marc Bergevin needs to assess the staff he has in place.  It has come to light that there was a lot "wrong" with the Pierre Gauthier/Bob Gainey regime of the past few years, and Bergevin has come in with the right attitudes to reverse it, but as an inexperienced GM, he'll need to surround himself with the right people.

First, Bergevin has indicated that Trevor Timmins, who currently holds the title of Director of Procurement and Player Development, has his confidence (and rightfully so given his track record) and will remain with the organization.  His role could conceivably change a little, as many have been critical of Montreal's Player Development over the past few years, so it is possible that the team brings in someone to focus on just that.  Timmins will also see his scouting staff grow, as Bergevin has committed to at least adding more sets of eyes to watch the QMJHL (currently only Serge Boisvert does this) to not miss out on local talent.  Of course, it is likely too late to add scouts in preparation for the Entry Draft just over a month away, so this is something the team will look at for next season, meaning there is no rush on the scouting staff changes to come.  But they are coming.

The other important member of the organization that Bergevin indicated would stay around is Larry Carriere, who currently has the position of Assistant General Manager.  What Bergevin hasn't confirmed is what position Carriere will hold in his new regime, as we know it is only a matter of time before Rick Dudley joins the organization from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will likely become the "real" Assistant GM.  It isn't impossible for a team to have multiple Assistant GMs - the Leafs have many who could qualify as such which is a model I'd like to see Montreal emulate - but the team will need to assign them specific roles.  One possibility is the creation of a post for a dedicated GM to the Hamilton Bulldogs, something that Carriere discussed during a little bit of late season work in Canada's Steel Capital.  It is reasonable to speculate that this become Carriere's role, or that the team may bring in someone lacking experience to grow in the job.

With Bergevin, Dudley, Timmins, and Carriere in place, the Habs seem to be building a strong front office.  But none of these men is known as a "numbers guy," meaning there could still be another opening for a specialized Capologist.  Patrick Boivin, son of former President Pierre Boivin, currently assumes this role (title of Director of Hockey Operations) but at age 33 is far from an experienced NHL exec.  Previously, the last time Montreal had a dedicated person in this role, it was Julien Brisebois, current Assistant GM in Tampa Bay and recent candidate for the job Bergevin ended up winning.  Brisebois won't return, and nor is this an area of expertise for Pierre McGuire (if he'd accept the significant paycut, GM of the Bulldogs is far more within his reach) for those who want him involved in the organization.  One possibly interesting name to watch here is Francois Giguere, another guy known to have been an early GM candidate.  Giguere has a CPA degree, meaning math is no foreign subject to him, and filled similar capacities with the Dallas Stars after his days in Colorado.

Bergevin is unlikely to stop his overhaul there, however, as his audit of the organization may encourage him to bring change to another area: Strength, Conditioning, and Athletic Therapy.  Nothing at all against Graham Rynbend, Nick Addey-Jibb, or Pierre Allard, who have provided the Canadiens with their best hard work for many seasons, but there comes a time where the curse of injuries that have followed the club - regardless of how players have changed - needs to be questioned.  And right now, with the big changes that have begun and remain on the horizon, is the ideal time to change direction and start players on new programs.

When you add in looking at the roster, surveying the upcoming free agent class, preparing for the draft, and oh yeah - finding a new head coach - it becomes clear that Bergevin's first weeks as the new head honcho will require long hours and difficult decisions.  This may shed light on why he's in a hurry to get some help, with Dudley hoping to make the jump to the Canadiens' organization as early as possible, though we still await an official announcement.  Either way, even if changes to the on-ice product are going to take a bit of time, it should be an exciting off-season of positive announcements out of Montreal.

Your Canadiens for May 7, 2012

Catching up on a few stories to start the week.


RICK DUDLEY TO JOIN HABS' FRONT OFFICE

Based on many reports, the worst-kept secret of the past week looks like it'll be imminently resolved.  Even before Marc Bergevin was officially announced as the new General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens, many felt that if he were to get the job, he'd bring his good friend Rick Dudley (pictured left) - currently employed by the Toronto Maple Leafs - with him.  Well it has become public that Bergevin is in discussion with Toronto GM Brian Burke about bringing Dudley to Montreal, so it seems like only matter of time.  How much time, however, may be complicated, as it seems that Dudley has put in significant work in preparing the Leafs for the upcoming entry draft, where Toronto holds the 5th pick in each round just two after Montreal's third selection.  Thus, Burke would love for Dudley's transfer to be delayed till after June 23rd, but it also appears that Dudley has an out clause in his contract with the Leafs which may permit him to leave earlier for another opportunity.

In either case, this is phenomenal news for Canadiens fans.  Dudley is a top notch talent evaluator and brings a wealth of experience in supporting Bergevin as an Assistant General Manager.  If Montreal's front office is to include Bergevin, Dudley, and Trevor Timmins, with potentially a capologist to be added as well (unless Larry Carriere assumes those functions), the Habs' future is in good hands.


CONFIRMED COACHING CANDIDATES

At his inaugural press conference, Marc Bergevin indicated that he wanted to keep his coach search confidential, just as the GM search had been.  Well we know that in the end, GM candidate names leaked out one by one (and were subsequently eliminated one at a time), and it does seem we will get news on the coach front in the same manner.  A first report indicated that Marc Crawford was set to meet with Bergevin, and now per an Elliot Friedman report, Bergevin is talking to his former team about their intentions on head coach Joel Quenneville.  There has been talk of the team not being happy with Coach Q, as he is known, and some fans have even indicated they'd be happy to see him axed.  There is no guarantee that he'll be available, since he still has 1 year remaining on his contract, but if he were let go, he would immediately become a top candidate for the Montreal job given his wealth of experience.  Before you ask, he attended a French school growing up in Windsor, Ontario, so has a basic understanding of the language, but isn't fluent.


CHL PLAYOFF UPDATE

Two Hab prospects are currently playing in their league finals, with Nathan Beaulieu and the Saint John Sea Dogs facing Rimouski in the QMJHL, and Jarred Tinordi and the London Knights playing Niagara in the OHL.

The Sea Dogs are up 2-0 in their series, with Beaulieu scoring a goal and being named first star in the series opener.  Montreal's 2011 first rounder has 13 points in 15 games this post-season, after scoring 17 in 19 in the playoffs a year ago.

London and Niagara are even at a game apiece, with Tinordi scoring a goal and finishing a +3 in his team's game 2 5-3 win.  Tinordi's goal is already his third of the playoffs (and 8th point) in just 16 games this season.  Over two regular seasons, in 111 games, he also scored a total of 3 goals, so he has clearly elevated his game offensively.

In other news, as this year's host, though they've long been eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, the Shawinigan Cataractes continue to wait to find out who their Memorial Cup opposition will be.  It was revealed Friday that former NHL head coach Bob Hartley will join the team's staff for the tournament.  If he is to be considered a candidate to take over in Montreal, then getting some North American experience again after a year in Switzerland, and getting to work with Hab prospects Michael Bournival and Morgan Ellis certainly won't hurt his chances.


WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE


Max Pacioretty is among the early scoring leaders at the IIHF World Hockey Championships with a goal and 4 assists through 3 games for Team USA.  He plays on the team's top line with Paul Stastny and Bobby Ryan.

Tomas Plekanec has been productive for the Czech Republic, with 3 assists in 3 games.  That ties him for his team lead with the Oilers' Ales Hemsky, who has 3 goals.

Denmark's lack of depth has seen them struggle at the Worlds, but Lars Eller has gotten on the board with two goals and an assist through 3 games.  He is averaging over 20 minutes a night.

Also averaging 20 minutes a game is Russia's Alexei Emelin.  In 2 games, he has recorded an assist, and is tied for the team lead with a +4 rating.

Among former Canadiens in the tournament, as usual, Mark Streit has been a key cog for the Swiss, with 2 goals and an assist in his first 2 games.  Alexander Perezhogin has been an offensive spark for the Russians, with a goal and 2 assists also in 2 games.

At 2-0-1, Team Canada was happy to see Slovakia beat the United States in regulation today, after Canada had lost to the Americans in overtime.  This allows Canada to still aspire to win their division, though Finland remains in their path, having posted consecutive 1-0 shutout wins thus far.

Canadiens Hire Marc Bergevin as GM

It has been revealed this morning that Marc Bergevin will be the next General Manager of the Montreal Canadiens.  It seems he, Pierre McGuire, and Julien Brisebois were amongst the final candidates, and McGuire spoke to Geoff Molson this morning, being given the news.  Brisebois, who had been in Montreal for a final meeting as well, also revealed that he had not been offered the job.  The Canadiens later made if official, announcing that a press conference will be held at 2PM this afternoon, available live on TSN.ca, RDS.ca, and RDSInfo.

Perhaps most satisfying in this is the knowledge that Geoff Molson and Serge Savard took their time and did their research.  They seemed to investigate every lead.  In addition to Bergevin, McGuire, and Brisebois, they looked at Jim Nill, Pat Brisson, Vincent Damphousse, Blair Mackasey, Ron Hextall, Luc Robitaille, Claude Loiselle, Patrick Roy, and undoubtedly a number of others we may not have heard about as part of the process.  And they settled on Bergevin, a guy with the experience necessary to succeed in the role.

Bergevin, 46, is a native of Montreal and  former National Hockey League defenseman who played 1,191 games split between the Chicago Blackhawks, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers, and New York Islanders (but never the Canadiens).  In an interview in 1992, he actually comically stated that growing up as a Habs fan, he never felt he was "good enough" to play for the Canadiens:

He retired in 2004 and joined the Blackhawks staff, first as a Pro Scout, then an Assistant Coach, then the Director of Player Personnel, and finally Assistant General Manager last summer.  Though he has never been at a team's helm, he has experience in all relevant areas, and as such I named him as my pick for the GM job (outside of Jim Nill) from the search's get-go.

Rick Dudley, currently serving in Toronto's front office, knows Bergevin well, and stated that in his eyes, Bergevin is in the top 1% of talent evaluators around the league.  While the Habs have been blessed with a pretty good set of eyes on the prospect front in Trevor Timmins, the team's Pro Scouting has been spotty over the years, so Bergevin will be a welcome addition to the management team.  Bergevin has a strong book of contacts around the league and is well-liked and respected, important traits iin a General Manager.  Plus, on a personal level, he is known to have a good sense of humour with a joker/prankster reputation, which may be a welcome change from the dry Pierre Gauthier.

Speaking of the management team, what we don't know yet is what will happen to the rest of the front office.  I hope Trevor Timmins is given the respect he deserves and that the club keeps him in his post, but this will have to be discussed with Bergevin.  There is also Larry Carriere to consider, currently in the role of Assistant GM, but it is customary for a General Manager to bring in his people to surround him.  Thus, it isn't impossible that there may be movement on that front in the coming hours or days as well.  Stay tuned, but for now, this is a move in the right direction to restore the Canadiens as a Glorieux organization.

And as if the appointing of a new GM wasn't big enough news, SportsNet's Louis Jean announced on radio this morning that the Habs would buy out Scott Gomez's contract.  But not so fast.  First, Louis Jean claimed Dave Morissette of TVA Sports was his source, and Morissette is far from a credible or reliable news-breaker.  Further, the NHL buyout period doesn't open till June 15th, so there is no sense in making such an announcement today.  Not only that, but the current NHL CBA expires at season's end, and who knows what buyout clauses may be included in the new convention.  So don't buy this one, Habs fans.  It is possible the brass has concluded Gomez won't be back, but how they'll get rid of him remains to be seen.


UPDATE: Some early takes on Bergevin:

- Pat Brisson, a good friend of Bergevin's, and influencial NHL agent whose client list includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, the Sedin Brothers, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane:
"One of his biggest strengths is that he knows what he knows, and also knows what he doesn't know.  When he doesn't have an answer, he'll look to find it quickly.  He has a great personality, which is something the Canadiens really needed.  He's gone through all the steps, from being a player for 20 years, to being an amateur and pro scout, to an assistant coach and assistant GM.  It's like as if the Habs hired someone out of Harvard.  I'm very happy for him and proud of him."

- Stan Bowman, Chicago Blackhawks GM, who last summer made Bergevin his assistant:
"It's never easy to lose someone of Bergevin's calibre, both professionally and personally.  It is a tremendous opportunity for him and his family.  He has played a significant role in our success over the last several years as a member of the front office and coaching staff.  I want to personally thank him for his dedication to our organization and certainly wish him all the best in Montreal."

- Darren Dreger, TSN Hockey Insider:
"Tough task of first firing coaching staff.  Can't leave Randy Cunneyworth and Randy Ladouceur hanging.  The Leafs haven't yet been asked by the Canadiens about speaking with Rick Dudley (Assistant GM since last June), but expect Dudley and Martin Lapointe (Pro Scout in Chicago since 2009) to be among Bergevin's early hires."


UPDATE: MARC BERGEVIN PRESS CONFERENCE

If his inaugural press conference was a first test, it seems Marc Bergevin passed with flying colours.  He was funny, making jokes that included:
- "I played for 8 NHL teams. I changed teams so often that my luggage was usually a team behind."
- "Thanks to Geoff Molson for his praise, even if he went a little overboard."
- (journalist says, "I sent you an e-mail a while back, not sure if you got it.") "It's probably in my Spam folder."

Signed to a five year contract, Bergevin repeated consistently that it's only his first day on the job and thus he couldn't comment much about specific players, though clearly indicated that Carey Price, as one of the game's top young goaltender, was a cornerstone to build around and would be a top priority this summer.  "When you have goaltending like that, you're a step ahead of the game."

Some other "reveals":

- Randy Cunneyworth has been relieved as Interim Head Coach and returns to the Assistant Coach role (along with Randy Ladouceur).  A new Head Coach will be hired, and it will be that person's decision as to who they want beside them on the bench.

- Bergevin likes Trevor Timmins's work, and Timmins will still be at the Habs' draft table in June.

- Bergevin calls Larry Carriere a good and respected person who knows his hockey.  Says Carriere will remain a part of his staff, but that he isn't opposed to bringing in absolutely anyone else that could help the organization in any capacity.  Wants to build a team around him, and decisions will be by committee.  First step is to analyze people who are currently in place.

- Bergevin says that yes, it is important for there to be French players on the Montreal Canadiens.  Says number one goal is to win, but there are good Francophones around the NHL.  Indicates that the QMJHL is in the team's backyard and there is presently just one scout there; that has to and WILL change.  Having more scouts in the area decreases chances of the team missing out on homegrown talent.

- Confirmation that the TVASports story about Scott Gomez this morning is pre-emptive and garbage.  No decisions have been made about Gomez yet, and Bergevin, who repeatedly reminded reporters that it's his first day and he only saw the team play twice this past season, will evaluate all cases in the coming days and weeks.  In an interview with RDS, Geoff Molson added that money isn't an object when it comes to re-structuring the team (specifically in regards to Gomez).  Says there is a Salary Cap, but will do whatever it takes to win.

- Bergevin feels there's a good nucleus in place, but talked a lot about a team mentality requiring all sorts of players, with everyone contributing.  Says he won't stand for individualist approaches; everyone needs to put the betterment of the team first.  Can't build a team with all toughness or all skill; need the right amount of everything.

- Bergevin says the Head Coach will be a group decision, but he wants someone who is well-respected and a natural leader.  Looks at Joel Quenneville as an example.  It's important for the head coach to be bilingual.

- With regards to the upcoming draft, all options are on the table.  The pick could be used, traded, or anything else, whatever Bergevin and staff feel is best for building a winning team.  He doesn't believe in rushing prospects to the NHL; if they're ready, then no problem, but doesn't like promoting a player too quickly.