Patrick Roy's Return to the NHL Appears Imminent
Patrick Roy is one of hockey's most decorated and respected figures, winning four Stanley Cups between 1985 and 2001. Roy's retirement would just mark the end of his playing career; shortly after hanging up his pads, Roy took command of the Quebec Ramparts of the QMJHL, named head coach in 2005.
Following several heartbreaking playoff defeats, Roy was hired by the Colorado Avalanche, where he would coach for three seasons; two of which they missed the playoffs with middling results. Since then, Roy has held the posts of head coach and GM of the Ramparts, where he still seeks to win a championship.
2022-23 is his last chance, however, as he is entering his final year with the team. According to independent hockey writer Patrick Lortie, Roy has been grooming retired NHL forward Simon Gagne for the post of GM in his preparations for departure.
Pair that with this news from PBI Sports...
...and it sure sounds like Patrick Roy is chasing an NHL return.
In what capacity, I cannot say, however. As mentioned previously, he has experience coaching in the NHL, but now that he has management experience as well he will surely pursue an executive position.
Lortie also mentioned that Roy has met with Montreal Canadiens' owner Geoff Molson several times in the past over the General Manager's position, now occupied by Kent Hughes.
Remember, Roy had multiple meetings with Geoff Molson last year before seeing Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes get hired. He was also in the running for GM when Marc Bergevin was hired. At this point in his career, it's clearly a job in Montreal or retirement for the Hall of Famer."
I don't think Roy would hire a full-time management agency if he had his sights set purely on Montreal, for what it's worth.
Roy is celebrating his 57th birthday today (Happy Birthday, Mr. Roy) and could have a long, successful executive career ahead of him. For reference, David Poile -- GM of the Nashville Predators -- is 72 years old, which gives Roy at least 15 good years to make something happen.
Entering his final season in junior hockey, Roy is clearly gearing up for an NHL return. 'Where to?' is the question now.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||