The Montreal Canadiens' encore to their Stanley Cup Final appearance last season has been an abject disaster, as they have a 6-15-2 record. With general manager Marc Bergevin in the last year of his contract having not signed an extension, it felt like a regime change was coming.
Did it ever arrive on Sunday.
Owner Geoff Molson announced that Bergevin, assistant general manager Trevor Timmins and senior VP of communications Paul Wilson were all "relieved of their respective functions" with the franchise. That's after assistant GM Scott Mellanby resigned after he didn't get either Bergevin's job or a higher office. Former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton has been hired as executive vice president of hockey operations and tasked with finding the next (bilingual) general manager of the Habs.
Here's a look at the decision and the fallout for the Original Six franchise, including who could take over for Bergevin.