In a recent interview with BPM Sports, Laval Rocket general manager John Sedgwick discussed his role and responsibilities.
Last month, the Montreal Canadiens announced a multi-year contract extension with assistant general manager John Sedgwick. As part of the agreement, Sedgwick was named the general manager of the Laval Rocket, in addition to his other duties with the Canadiens.
Sedgwick has been overseeing the AHL club since Scott Mellanby's departure from the organization in November 2021. The recent contract extension made official his responsibilities to Laval.
"First of all, it's to know about everything that is happening here," Sedgwick described his role in an interview that aired on BPM Sports during Saturday's Laval broadcast. "In the summer, it's to build a lineup that gives an opportunity to our young players to improve and give depth to the Canadiens."
Sedgwick spoke about the importance of providing opportunities for prospects while supporting them with veteran players.
"We try to surround [the young players] with good veterans, good players that can help Montreal if the young players aren't ready or need more time. Veterans that can help the young players and also to have a competitive team is something that we want," added the general manager.
Finding the right balance between young players and veterans is a challenge in the AHL. "It's a difficult balance because we want our young players to be important players on the team. We don't want too much experience but we want enough experience. Winning the Calder Cup isn't the most important thing."
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Hands-on Development
Sedgwick joined the Canadiens in April 2013 during Marc Bergevin's era as the Director of Legal Affairs. He has held several roles since his hiring and is the organization's salary cap specialist. When Geoff Molson made changes to the hockey operations management team, Sedgwick was one of the few that remained.
"I'm the general manager here because I have a big role with both teams. Jeff (Gorton), Kent (Hughes), Geoff (Molson) and everyone wants to have a good picture of what is happening here day-to-day. Everyone is watching the games and I receive a lot of texts every game," explained Sedgwick, highlighting management's interest in the Rocket.
"We have Adam Nicholas, Scott Pellerin, Francis Bouillon, Paul Byron. We're a little bit more hands-on with development day-to-day but the philosophy isn't completely different," he answered when asked to compare Bergevin's approach with the current administration.
Houle's Future
Jean-Francois Houle is in the final year of his three-year contract with the organization. Under his watch, the Rocket reached the Eastern Conference final and lost in last season's play-in series.
"It's not dependent on the playoffs," stated Sedgwick when asked by BPM Sports' Anthony Marcotte about the coach's future. "I will answer that question when the season ends but we're happy with the (coaching) group. The young players are getting better, the team is competitive." He declined to comment whether negotiations have begun about a contract extension.
Trade Acquisitions
Since his contract extension, the Canadiens have made several AHL deals most notably trading Jan Mysak to the Ducks in exchange for Jacob Perreault.
"Jan was on a good path. We felt like we needed more skill and it was a change of scenery for both players. We think that Jacob has a higher ceiling in terms of skill and really want to work with him," Sedgwick noted. "We liked Jan a lot, he worked hard for us. I have nothing negative to say about him."
Prior to the AHL deadline, Nathan Legare was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Arnaud Durandeau. "With Joshua Roy [in the NHL], the skill level was lower now than the start of the season," he commented.
In January, Filip Cederqvist was acquired from the Sabres for future considerations. "Our scouts have liked him for several years. He was also looking for a new opportunity. He's a bigger guy, and we didn't have a lot of size."
Veteran Goalie
The Rocket began the season with Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann as their goaltending tandem. Dobes was fresh off the NCAA and Mann had 20 AHL games under his belt with the San Jose Sharks affiliate.
The lack of experience became problematic at the start of the season and it led to the signing of veteran Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout contract in mid-December.
"At the start of the summer, we didn't know the situation in Montreal. We had three, then four goalies. It was possible that Cayden Primeau or someone else was here," explained Sedgwick. "We thought that it was probable that one of our four goalies in Montreal would be here, but it didn't happen."
He added that having a veteran to support Dobes is important and that will be a priority when building next season's roster.
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