Could The Habs Next GM Lure Bergeron Away From Bruins?

As a native of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, just outside of Quebec City, Boston Bruins captain grew up as a Quebec Nordiques fan and has openly admitted his disdain for the Montreal Canadiens. While anyone and everyone around the Boston Bruins believes it’s a foregone conclusion that Bergeron, who is an unrestricted free agent after this season, will either retire or sign a new deal with the Bruins, what would happen if his longtime agent, Kent Hughes, became the next general manager of the Habs?

On Saturday night, Sportsnet NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Hughes is likely on former Boston Bruins interim GM and new Canadiens Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton’s radar as the next GM of the Bruins’ longtime and bitter rival.

“So, Jeff Gorton had an interesting comment, he had his first media meeting with the people of Montreal yesterday and one of the things he talked about was the possibility of somebody different as a GM, maybe an agent,” said Friedman on Saturday night during the 32 Thoughts segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

“The person who I believe they’re interested in who is an agent is Kent Hughes, who’s born in Montreal, he is bilingual, (and is) now in the Boston area. So there’s a connection to Gordon for both of them being around there. Among his client list include Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang, and formerly Vincent Lecavalier with Quartexx Management. I think he’s on Montreal’s radar as a candidate.”

Friedman then pointed out that while Hughes is a likely candidate, Gorton’s search for a new GM of the Canadiens has just begun and there hasn’t been too much progress yet.

“From what I’ve been told there’s been no contact at this point in time. And Gorton said yesterday, they haven’t reached out to interview anybody,” Friedman said. “But I do think he’s one of the agents or the agent on Montreal’s radar.”

Bergeron’s current contract with the Boston Bruins expires after this season and he is already on record as saying he and the Bruins have agreed to put contract talks off until the season concludes. Then when rumors of the NHL and Quebec politicians talking about a potential return of NHL hockey to Quebec City surfaced last month, Bergeron shot down any speculation of him finishing his career with the team he loved as a kid.

“I’m going to play for the Bruins against them, but just to be playing the Nordiques there’d be a special meaning to it,” said Bergeron, when asked recently whether he’d ever considered finishing his career at home. “Just the fact that I am from there, it’s my hometown. I could play in front of my family.  I grew up watching the Nordiques and playing against them would be special.”

One would think then, that there’s no way he’d ever be lured by Hughes and Gorton to sign with the Canadiens as an unrestricted free agent right?

While that’s the sentiment here, one never knows. Zdeno Chara didn’t retire a Bruin and if we’re going to cross sports while we speak of the unthinkable, Tom Brady is coming off his seventh Super Bowl that he won with a team not named the New England Patriots.