Gaston Therrien, exasperated by the slowness of Kent Hughes’ reconstruction process, openly attacked Kent Hughes.
According to him, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens can no longer afford to remain passive while the team sinks in the rankings, year after year.
For Therrien, it is unimaginable that a GM could benefit from such immunity in the NHL, without ever fearing for his job despite miserable results.
No one else could have kept their job with a team in the depths for so long, proclaimed Therrien, visibly running out of patience.
He said Hughes embodies ineffectiveness and acceptance of defeat, prioritizing draft picks and promises of a bright future over a true vision of a winning team.
There is no shortage of examples of errors: the questionable management of goalkeepers, with the fact of having sacrificed Jake Allen and keeping Cayden Primeau who collapsed, the fact of having selected David Reinbacher in place of Matvei Michkov, the fact for having sacrificed Alex Romnov for Kirby Dach…
We could go on like this for a long time.
Give away Jhonathan Kovacevic, steal Artturi Lehkonen for Justin Barron, Tyler Toffoli for Filip Mesar and Emil Heineman, wait too long before trading Josh Anderson, wait too long before trading Mike Matheson, get Alex Newhook for a 1st pick round and 2nd round..
Therrien is fed up with Kent Hughes’ mistakes. But wanting to speed up the reconstruction to make up for its mistakes would be absolutely ridiculous.
Why go looking for a right-handed defender or an attacker to revive the team when the goal is to get to the cellar?
To Therrien’s great surprise, it was not the fans who turned against Kent Hughes, but against him. Social networks were ignited, and instead of calling for the departure of the CEO, it is the dismissal of Therrien that many are virulently demanding.
“Who is Gaston Therrien to judge a complex reconstruction process? »
“Therrien, perhaps it is time to reconstruct your analysis. »
Poor Gaston. This brutal reaction is proof that despite his mistakes, Kent Hughes was able to rally a majority of supporters, who understand that reconstruction requires time and sacrifice.
Hughes repeated it tirelessly: “You have to be patient. »
For him, this reconstruction is not a sprint, but a marathon, and he wants to build a solid foundation, even if it means weathering a few storms.
This transparency, although unpopular, resonates with supporters tired of temporary solutions that lead to nothing.
Gaston Therrien, on the other hand, found himself in the shoes of the watered sprinkler, his criticism turning violently against him.
The analyst seems to have underestimated the fans’ attachment to Hughes’ vision, which embodies for them a hope of renewal.
The storm has only just begun, as his criticism of Kent Hughes has led to a wave of merciless reactions on social media. Montreal supporters, far from sharing his alarmist vision, literally pinned him to the ground with merciless and mocking comments.
Instead of putting Hughes in the ejection seat, Therrien has become the target of fans, and the messages are flying mercilessly.
“If you want to scrap a reconstruction, listen to Gaston,”
“Therrien represents the very obstacle to all progress, and following his advice would be the sure path to failure.”
“If we want to move…we have to fire you!” »
“It’s not possible. You understand nothing every day. Gaston misery »
“Therrien has no idea what he’s saying: “Nooooo Hughes knows what he’s doing. Therrien doesn’t know anything.”
“The opposite of what KH said today. Gaston doesn’t know the word patience. »
Gaston Therrien continued throughout the evening to assert that Kent Hughes is not moving because he likes defeat and wants to make Montreal a losing club.
The fans, united in their mockery, showed Gaston Therrien that it might be time to revise his positions.
The lesson of this saga is simple: the Montreal public prefers a well-conducted reconstruction to the impatient and ill-founded criticism of an analyst who is treated as outdated or rather, as a “has-been”.
We can well accuse Gaston Therrien of wanting Kent Hughes fired if he doesn’t move. But the reality is that the GM of the Montreal Canadiens is losing his feathers, even if the fans protect him as if he were an almighty god
Kent Hughes’ errors since his arrival as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens have not gone unnoticed, but they remain largely protected by the patience of fans and the shield of an announced reconstruction.
However, when we review some of his decisions, we can wonder about the insolent luck which protects him from more serious criticism.
Leading a rebuilding team, Hughes made a number of questionable choices that would have put other general managers in trouble much more quickly.
First, the hiring of Martin St-Louis, a pee-wee coach, was initially praised for his audacity in thinking “outside the box”.
But over the course of defeats, the lack of defensive structure and repeated errors on the ice show the limits of this “revolutionary approach” by the coach.
St-Louis appeared vulnerable, even admitting that he doubted himself, an admission that should have tipped Hughes off.
By leaving the team to an apprentice coach, Hughes is gambling with the development of his young players, a risk that could jeopardize the team’s long-term future.
Then, on the transaction side, Hughes has accumulated costly mistakes that will not be repeated.
His emphasis on “staying patient” and not rushing anything was often used as an excuse for disappointing results.
Meanwhile, much younger rebuilding teams have overtaken the Canadiens, with active and aggressive strategies to become competitive again.
By relying on the patience and protection of fans, Hughes risks losing control of the message of reconstruction and indefinitely postponing the moment when Montreal can aim for the summits.
But despite these many mistakes, Hughes is still protected by a majority of supporters who believe in his plan.
It is clear that we would need a more credible analyst than Gaston Therrien to criticize him effectively and to really put him in public danger.
Unfortunately, Therrien has always been the clown on duty at RDS. Difficult to rally the public in this context.
Gaston wants Kent Hughes fired. But Quebec wants Gaston fired.
Kent Hughes must be rubbing his hands…
