On his first priorities as he gets settled into his new role:
The first thing for me is to get together with Geoff and Jeff to talk. But for sure, my first step is to join the team in Vegas and take the time to get to know the players - both as players and as people - and the personnel. We're also going to review the structure, the people who work here, evaluating the scouting department, advanced stats, and development. And thirdly, to prepare for the trade deadline. Essentially, we have two months.
On what makes for a successful general manager in the NHL, drawing on his experience dealing with GM's from an agent's perspective:
They always have a plan, they always have the patience to not react for the short term, they have a vision for the organization. I really believe in an integrated organization. I mean that it isn't just "hockey operations," there are many divisions internally that all work together. And, I still believe [successful GM's] have a good eye for talent. And they know how to manage people, as well.
On how his attributes will complement those of Jeff Gorton:
I would imagine that most people expect that because I was an agent, my strength is in negotiations. I definitely know how a player thinks. I know how an agent thinks, which I believe will be an advantage for us. But I think, as Jeff said, it's more about the hockey side.
As I explained, I'm passionate about hockey. I've spent a lot of time as an agent doing scouting, working on the development side with players, whether it's skills, off-ice training or conditioning, but also how to use a player, bring out their strengths, how we can help them play.
I don't want us to be an organization that evaluates a player and says, "He's not performing." I want to understand why he isn't performing. The more we're able to work together in hockey operations, the more I think we'll be able to get the best out of everyone.
On drafting players from Quebec:
I've spent a good part of my career, particularly the first 10 years, here in Quebec. We were lucky enough to represent some very good players from Quebec: Vincent Lecavalier, Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang. I'm very familiar with the QMJHL. We're going to continue to follow it and we're going to use our contacts, too, to do all the research to draft the best players from Quebec.
On next steps with head coach Dominique Ducharme:
I want to discuss with Dom first. Dom is the coach of this team. I'm arriving here today… I haven't had a lot of opportunity to think about everything; it's been kind of more of a reactionary 48 hours, but I certainly have beliefs about what a modern-day coach should be, or have in terms of qualities. I'm anxious to speak to Dom, learn more about him, and ultimately, we'll see where things take us from there.
On the style of play he envisions for the Habs:
In a perfect world, we would be an offensive-minded hockey club. I don't think you can be successful in the National Hockey League today without being a defensively responsible team. But, we see teams in the National Hockey League - I think all of us can identify some - where the focus is strictly defensive, and others are more creative. I envision a team that plays fast with the puck, that's a possession hockey team. But, I also understand that you have to build a team around the players you have and that's going to be a process for us here as we move forward.
On his philosophy for team-building:
I think there's more to it [than finding the most-skilled players]. Certainly, I don't think the team that wins the Stanley Cup every year is necessarily the team with the roster full of the most talented players. To me team-building, certainly, there's a culture that we need to create or establish here, and an environment that people want to be part of, where there's a sense that everybody is pulling in the same direction [...] to the fullest capacity possible. I also think, personnel-wise - and I'm not talking about hockey, I'm talking about the people who work here: I want everybody to feel like they're part of the process, that they have a contribution to it, that the entire organization is pulling in one direction and trying to win together.
