Habs Hire New GM

Montreal Gazette - 12 May 2019
Stu Cowan

As the EHE’s Montreal Canadiens limp towards their second consecutive bottom 5 finish, the historic franchise can finally share some good news with their fans.  Following an extensive search, the team has finally identified the man who will be tasked with leading the team out of the dark and named Andre Deblois as the 2^nd General Manger in EHE franchise history.

Deblois comes to the Canadien’s organization with 11 years of experience, managing many teams in various leagues.  Owner Geoff Molson noted that his variety of experience was a key factor in his hiring, as Deblois has done it all, including managing expansion teams, winning league championships and, most importantly given the current state of the Canadiens’ roster, guiding teams through rebuilds back to playoff contention.

At his introductory press conference, Deblois expressed a keen sense of the gravity of his new post.  “The Montreal Canadiens are the most successful pro hockey franchise of all time. Period.” stated Deblois. “Taking the helm of such an historic organization is a daunting task, but it is a challenge I take on with enthusiasm. This post has been held by some of the greatest hockey minds in history, from Frank Selke to Sam Pollock to Serge Savard, and I just hope to one day earn a place among those great men.”

When pressed on his immediate plans for the team, Deblois would point out that little can be done before the offseason, but that he would take the time until then to carefully evaluate every facet of the organization.  “There is no doubt that wholesale changes will need to be made.  Back to back bottom five finishes are tough to swallow, particularly this season as we will not even benefit from our lost season with a high draft pick.”  

On his long term vision for the team, Deblois did not shy away from proclaiming that there would be some lean years ahead. “I am a firm believer that you can do things quick, or you can do things right.  Unfortunately, in the recent past, this team has tried to do things quick.” stated Deblois, “Following a hard season last year, the club mortgaged the future, trading away a 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th and two 4^th round picks, along with young players like Morgan Frost, Dylan Sikura, Pierre Olivier Joseph, Ryan Hartman and Ivan Morozov in order to be competitive, and we are still stuck at the bottom of the league standings. Moving forward, with the support of the ownership group, we will be doing things right, but that will likely mean more seasons of strife and struggle as we rebuild this club the right way.”  Deblois was asked about what a protracted rebuild would mean for the status of veteran star players like Drew Doughty and Max Pacioretty, but he was non-committal about their future, only saying that if moving them was in the best interest of the franchise, he would not hesitate to do so.

When asked about his priorities, Deblois noted that he wants to address his organization’s weakness in goal. “The Canadiens have historically been blessed with some of the all time greats in the crease, with the likes of Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy all having been key components of the most successful periods in club history. I believe in building from the crease out and will be certainly looking to address the franchise’s goaltending depth at all levels.”

There is no questioning that new GM Deblois has much hard work to do with this club, it only remains to be seen if he can follow up on the promise his hiring has brought and lead the Habs back to respectability.  It will be an interesting next few months in Montreal, to say the least.