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GM Search Down to 3.... Briere, Darche, and a mystery candidate.


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A good article on Briere.  He has certainly been doing a lot of the right things.  Darche was my choice but I think there is a lot to like about Briere. 

 

https://nhltradetalk.com/former-nhl-star-daniel-briere-trying-to-become-next-great-nhl-gm/

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I've always had the feeling (no really good reason) that Kent Hughes might be Gorton's favourite.

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36 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

A good article on Briere.  He has certainly been doing a lot of the right things.  Darche was my choice but I think there is a lot to like about Briere. 

 

https://nhltradetalk.com/former-nhl-star-daniel-briere-trying-to-become-next-great-nhl-gm/

Danny-B has been my favorite candidate in this hiring round.

 

I am rooting for him

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43 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

 

I've always had the feeling (no really good reason) that Kent Hughes might be Gorton's favourite.

 

If you listen to Stu Cowan's comments, Hughes and Gorton have an existing relationship so there is a good reason to have that feeling. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Have the Habs not yet made a decision ... or ... does Mathieu know it is not him?

 

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2 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

Have the Habs not yet made a decision ... or ... does Mathieu know it is not him?

 

 

Darche  is obviously held in high regard by more than the Habs. He is not being interviewed by Anaheim because he speaks French, it's  because of his ability/skills.

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14 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

Darche  is obviously held in high regard by more than the Habs. He is not being interviewed by Anaheim because he speaks French, it's  because of his ability/skills.

 

A point in his favour for sure.

 

Something about Briere rubs me the wrong way, but that’s just a gut feeling, not a considered assessment, obviously.

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3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

A point in his favour for sure.

 

Something about Briere rubs me the wrong way, but that’s just a gut feeling, not a considered assessment, obviously.

 

Darche was my favourite at the beginning of the process, only because I had seen a couple interviews with him and he came across as a very measured, intelligent, thoughtful guy. I am hardly an expert on the candidates being interviewed,  far from it.  I have also watched a couple interviews with Briere recently and came away with a more positive impression of him, not that I had a negative impression before, just didn't have any impression. 

 

Stu Cowan made some good comments about Darche, we will likely know soon. Glad they are taking their time with this process.   

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20 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

Have the Habs not yet made a decision ... or ... does Mathieu know it is not him?

 

 
this is good news, probably means Martin Madden Jr is the 3rd mystery candidate . He is not my favorite but is the best fit for the job

 

He would be a great complement to Gorton on the drafting side

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18 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

What don't you like about Darche? 

 

What exactly has he accomplished in management?  He's a depth management piece in an organization that has largely rode the coattails of the moves that Yzerman made beyond some overpayments for role players that people accept now since they won the Cup.  I think he's someone that could be a decent GM one day but I'd like to see him become an assistant GM first, a role he doesn't even have now.

 

With Hughes, you get someone that has probably done negotiations with every GM in the league which is a huge bonus in terms of hitting the ground running.  He has a decent client base as an agent so he has done something right there. 

 

Briere doesn't have a ton of front office experience either but he has built a new franchise up from the ground in the ECHL which is good from a big picture perspective.  He knows what's needed on the day-to-day side in the minors in general which would be a good complement to someone like Gorton who has a better handle on the NHL side but not so much the minors.

 

Darche brings none of those elements to the table.  He's a smart guy by all accounts but he's someone I think should be considered for the next GM vacancy in Montreal when he has more experience under his belt.  At least he's not Patrick Roy...

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3 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 this is good news, probably means Martin Madden Jr is the 3rd mystery candidate . He is not my favorite but is the best fit for the job

 

He would be a great complement to Gorton on the drafting side

 

Anaheim denied permission to speak to him.  He's not the 3rd candidate - Kent Hughes is.

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3 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 
this is good news, probably means Martin Madden Jr is the 3rd mystery candidate . He is not my favorite but is the best fit for the job

 

He would be a great complement to Gorton on the drafting side

 

No question that Madden would be great to have at the draft table. You would think that Anaheim would give Madden the opportunity for the Montreal GM job if they are not going to hire him as their own GM. That would be the classy thing to do. 

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5 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 
this is good news, probably means Martin Madden Jr is the 3rd mystery candidate . He is not my favorite but is the best fit for the job

 

He would be a great complement to Gorton on the drafting side

 

Madden is not the candidate.

 

We already figured out the third, its Kent Hughes.

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6 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

What exactly has he accomplished in management?  He's a depth management piece in an organization that has largely rode the coattails of the moves that Yzerman made beyond some overpayments for role players that people accept now since they won the Cup.  I think he's someone that could be a decent GM one day but I'd like to see him become an assistant GM first, a role he doesn't even have now.

 

With Hughes, you get someone that has probably done negotiations with every GM in the league which is a huge bonus in terms of hitting the ground running.  He has a decent client base as an agent so he has done something right there. 

 

Briere doesn't have a ton of front office experience either but he has built a new franchise up from the ground in the ECHL which is good from a big picture perspective.  He knows what's needed on the day-to-day side in the minors in general which would be a good complement to someone like Gorton who has a better handle on the NHL side but not so much the minors.

 

Darche brings none of those elements to the table.  He's a smart guy by all accounts but he's someone I think should be considered for the next GM vacancy in Montreal when he has more experience under his belt.  At least he's not Patrick Roy...

 

Fair enough but it is my understanding that Gorton is looking for someone to mentor, none of the candidates have management experience at the NHL level but Darche has had the opportunity to be involved working very closely with Brisbois on all aspects of their operations. You seem to totally dismiss what he has learned working for one of the best organizations in the NHL.  He has been much more than a depth management piece.  Briere has experience at the ECHL level but that is a far cry from the NHL.  Is Anaheim interviewing Briere?

 

I don't know much about Hughes. If negotiating contracts was the most important part of a GM's job then he would be the leading candidate. I would think that evaluating talent and finding the right pieces to put together to build a winning team is but I don't know nearly enough about Hughes to make a determination of his skills in this area. We will know soon. I am confident Gorton will make a good decision. 

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1 minute ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

[...snip]

 I am confident Gorton will make a good decision. 

 

why? He has not done much since he joined. The Rangers only became better after he was fired?

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2 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Fair enough but it is my understanding that Gorton is looking for someone to mentor, none of the candidates have management experience at the NHL level but Darche has had the opportunity to be involved working very closely with Brisbois on all aspects of their operations. You seem to totally dismiss what he has learned working for one of the best organizations in the NHL.  He has been much more than a depth management piece.  Briere has experience at the ECHL level but that is a far cry from the NHL.  Is Anaheim interviewing Briere?

 

Darche is the Director of Hockey Ops for Tampa.  That's not exactly at the top of the organizational food chain; it's an entry-level role.  It's slightly above Director of Player Development for most teams which is below assistant GM.  That's the definition of a depth management piece.

 

Most of Briere's experience is at the ECHL level (fifth season), yes, but he has two years in Philly's front office as well which is only a few months less than the totality of Darche's front office experience.

 

Is Briere interviewing in Anaheim?  Not sure on that one; most of the names haven't been leaked yet.

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1 minute ago, alfredoh2009 said:

why? He has not done much since he joined. The Rangers only became better after he was fired?

 

Has there been a trade made anywhere around the league since he was hired?  The pandemic has kind of killed the trade market at the moment.  There's also the matter of not wanting to saddle the GM with some players they may not prefer.  He needs to hire a GM first, then they can make the plan, then go execute it.  Until that GM is hired, Gorton really shouldn't be doing anything aside from minor moves like the claims of Clague and Pitlick.

 

The Rangers are better because for the first time in a while, they have a goalie in Shesterkin.  If you look at their top scorers, pretty much all have been brought in by Gorton and his management team.  Gallant hasn't hurt either so give Chris Drury some credit on that one though.

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2 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

why? He has not done much since he joined. The Rangers only became better after he was fired?

 

Who do you think put the pieces together for the Rangers?  He was GM there from 2015-21 and now they have one of the best records in the NHL in 2022. Who do you think is responsible for that?  Did the new GM magically acquire all these players?

 

What were your short term expectations for Gorton when he got the job?  Make wholesale changes without getting to know the personnel first which also coincided with Montreal having half their team injured. Make a quick decision on a GM?   Some people are so impatient. News flash: building a winner here won't happen overnight. 

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51 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

Anaheim denied permission to speak to him.  He's not the 3rd candidate - Kent Hughes is.

Denying permission isn't very common, is it? At least that was my impression ...

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