There’s no doubt that former Canadiens goaltender, turned coach and hockey executive Patrick Roy would be open to taking the job as Montreal Canadiens’ general manager if it was offered. He notes he’s not sure he’s the guy Geoff Molson and Jeff Gorton would choose and there are great candidates on the list, but Roy feels the Canadiens have ‘nothing to lose’ if they chose to give him a shot.
Saying the Canadiens have been spinning their wheels since 1993, Roy would be open to working as part of a team and trying to turn the Habs organization around and pointed in the right direction. “Would I be interested? Of course,” Roy told TVA Sports and Radio-Canada on Tuesday, via CTV. He admitted he knows there’s a process, but added, “But if I get a call, I’ll definitely listen.”
After the Canadiens fired GM Marc Bergevin and hired Jeff Gorton as President of Hockey Operations, one of the first things on the new agenda is to hire a French-speaking GM who would act as the face of the team and deal with media and fan messaging. Not surprisingly, there were a number of candidates mentioned and Roy’s name was among them. He’s not necessarily a favorite to land the job, but the connection makes sense considering his history with the organization and his desire to get back to the NHL in a major role.
The concern with Roy might be his ability to get along with others and not have full autonomy to make decisions. Gorton was signed to a long-term deal and he will be a key player in any major roles moving forward. Speculation is that Roy might not fit in well with that kind of partnership environment.
Roy noted, “if the phone rings, it will ring,” Roy added. “Otherwise, we will continue to do what we do, it’s not more complicated than that.”
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