Marc Bergevin “hurt” by moves from Canadiens ownership.

Things are imploding in Montreal and it seems they are imploding very rapidly.

There was an absolute whirlwind that tore through the Montreal Canadiens organization last night when news first broke that Canadiens ownership had sought permission to speak with former New York Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton. That was big news in its own right, but seemingly moments after that story broke we would learn that Canadiens assistant general manager Scott Mellanby had resigned.

National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman broke the situation down on the NHL broadcast, and had this to say:

"Well it's really exploded tonight with reports that [the Canadiens] have permission to talk to Jeff Gorton who is formerly the general manager of the New York Rangers, and also that Scott Mellanby has resigned as assistant general manager there," said Friedman. "Without any of the particulars talking here is the best scenario that I can paint guys. We all believe that Marc Bergevin was not coming back after this year... I believe that he recommend Scott Mellanby to be his successor or to have a significant role in the organization. I think there were conversations between Scott Mellanby and ownership to have a significant role and then i believe in the last little while it changed and recently Mellanby was informed that he is not going to be getting that position and the Canadiens are going in a different direction."

It would now appear that this decision by Canadiens owner Geoff Molson has created a seismic rift among some in the organization. Louis Jean of TVA Sports is now reporting that current Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin is not happy with the decision from ownership.

"According to my sources, Marc Bergevin was surprised and hurt by the rumors surrounding Gorton and Mellanby," wrote Jean. "He had recommended Mellanby to be his successor, but was not aware that a search was underway. He learned all of this through the media, according to what I've been told."

Bergevin is of course at the heart of all of this. There were rumors that the Canadiens GM had been offered a contract extension by the team, but no agreement was ever reached between the two parties and Bergevin is currently in the final year of his current deal. It sounds like he may have a reason to be upset however, as it sounds like the Canadiens may have made some promises along the way.

St. Louis Blues insider Andy Strickland reports that Scott Mellanby had been "promised" the GM job after Bergevin's departure, only to have Canadiens ownership change their minds.

It sounds like this decision may have been made quickly and it may even be that the Habs were only recently granted permission to speak to Gorton. Either way Canadiens insider Eric Engels believes that things are shifting rapidly inside of the organization, indicating his belief that more changes could be made as soon as today.

That sentiment was echoed today by NHL insider Darren Dreger. Dreger reports that Gorton is expected to take over, likely as President of Hockey Operations, for the Canadiens in short order.

Some insiders, like Pierre LeBrun, are even wondering how long Bergevin himself will remain on in what he describes as a "lame duck" position.