Quotes of the day: John Sedgwick

MONTREAL - Following Tuesday's announcement regarding the affiliation with the new ECHL franchise in Trois-Rivières, John Sedgwick fielded questions from reporters on several different topics.

Sedgwick, the Canadiens' Vice-President of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs, has been with the organization since April 2013.
Here are a few highlights from his Zoom-based Q&A:
Asked why an ECHL franchise based in Trois-Rivières is the perfect fit for the Canadiens moving forward, Sedgwick responded:
The last couple of seasons, we haven't had an ECHL affiliate, a primary affiliate. We've spread our players around the League a bit. That was something we were looking to change. Proximity is a tremendous advantage, being just a little over an hour away from Laval and Montreal is great for us. It will allow us to do a lot more with the ECHL, things like loaning an injured player coming back who needs some game reps or just getting a player that's been out of the lineup some game reps. It's great that way. The ECHL is also a conduit to professional hockey for players leaving Canadian university hockey. There's some very strong programs in the province. It'll give us a good opportunity to get a look at these players as they turn pro. There are a lot of advantages. It's a great fit.
Sedgwick believes the Canadiens will have some input with respect to the team's player development efforts:
We probably will. It's something we're going to discuss with Marc-André Bergeron. It's a little bit too early to say. We've worked with Glenn Stanford and Mark Weightman before, so I think we have a good relationship with them. I'm sure we'll have input if we want.

Sedgwick explained that Quebec-born players will benefit from the new partnership as well:
After their collegiate careers are over, it's a good option for local players to continue in the pro ranks close to home. I think Marc-André and his group are going to make an effort to add many Quebec-born players.
Several reporters also asked Sedgwick about the "taxi squad" that every NHL team is carrying this season, and the veteran executive stressed the importance of being transparent with players regarding the whole process:
I think it's very important. Actually, I would say the taxi squad is going to help us a lot this year and help us manage through this year. That's why it's there. The point about communication is very important. These are young men, especially in the case of Alexander Romanov. Sometimes things can be lost in translation. When we do something like loan him, we communicated with his agent, explained it and made sure that he's understanding why and also the impact that it has on him. They've all been very understanding.

Sedgwick took the opportunity to share a message with future players in the Trois-Rivières organization, too:
I think our message to them would be 'You're an hour away from the Rocket. We're going to see you much more. We're going to be aware of you much more. It's the best possible avenue into the Rocket and then into the NHL.' We have two players out here in Vancouver with us who spent significant time in the ECHL, and we have an assistant coach in Laval in Alex Burrows who played extensively in the ECHL. I would say anything's possible.
With respect to the pandemic-related challenges facing the Rocket right now with the AHL season on the horizon, Sedgwick pointed out a few:
The first challenge is there won't be many teams we're playing against. Even more extreme than the NHL, we'll have a lot of rivalries. Also for us, in the American Hockey League context, to operate in the province we have to operate at the standard of the NHL in terms of health protocols and the like. That presents a challenge - not just financial, but in terms of logistics and making sure that everyone's obtaining the proper testing and we're following the appropriate distancing. I think the AHL's been very flexible and our other Canada-based AHL partners have also been great to work with. I think and hope we'll get through it.
Asked whether the Canadiens will have any input beyond hockey-related matters with theTrois-Rivières franchise, Sedgwick said:
If they're going to use our logo or our brand, we'll clearly be invovled. We know Mark Weightman, Glenn Stanford and Marc-André Bergeron well. I think there will be a lot of dialogue. We'll see.