Are the Montreal Canadiens up for sale?

It's been over 10 years since the Molson brothers bought the Montreal Canadiens from American businessman George Gillett. While the Molson company had owned a piece of the franchise for some time, the sale in 2009 gave the Molsons the entire franchise, with the group naming Geoff Molson the Chairman. Now, are rumours out of Montreal that the storied franchise may be back on the market.

On a 91.9 Sports radio show, host Martin Lemay said all signs point to the Canadiens being on the market.

"You can sign your multi-million dollar rookie player even if your team is for sale without a problem," said Lemay, referring to a recent contract given to Nick Suzuki.

"But, can you sign your manager for big cash if your team is for sale?," added Lemay, referring to the fact that even though Marc Bergevin has stated that he wants to stay with the Montreal Canadiens, as of now he does not have an extension on his contract that runs out at the end of this season.


"That means that a new owner couldn't put his right-hand man in charge. All the decisions that are made lately, do the math. It's pure speculation but imagine the team is for sale, all the decisions that have been made and those that have not been made, equate to a team that would be for sale."

"We didn't tie up the owner with incredible contracts, Shea Weber leaving and we don't plan to bring him back... Which is a relief on the payroll, we didn't give any contracts that would be burdensome to anyone, besides Suzuki but that's okay because he's a franchise player, Geoff Molson doesn't address the crowd, etc."

"You know, he doesn't have to tell us that his team is for sale, but it would be damn good timing because his team is worth more than a billion dollars right now," Lemay said.

According to recent reports, Montreal has the third highest valued franchise in the NHL, behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers. Its worth is estimated to be $1.58 billion. If the Molson brothers were looking to sell, there's certainly no time like the present to guarantee and return on their investment.

Source: Habsolumentfan.com