Report: Three women in the running for Canadiens GM job

According to a report from Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic, there are at least three women in contention for the Montreal Canadiens' vacant GM position.

From Godin's most recent column for The Athletic (translated from French):

We are told that an exhaustive list of candidates has already been drawn up and that it will take a long time to interview everyone the Habs have in their sights. It won't be a quick process. Among this long list, we are also told that at least three women are approached for the position.

Molson has announced that he wants to improve diversity in hockey operations, and this is the first proof of his seriousness. Of course, interviewing women for the post of CEO does not necessarily mean that one of them will be hired for that specific post. But the mere fact that women are being considered shows that Molson's diversity initiative has teeth, and it is certainly a step in the right direction for hockey in general. In addition, even if a woman is not hired as GM, speaking to these candidates could make them valuable additions to other positions in the hockey management, which currently has only four people, i.e. Gorton, John Sedgwick, Martin Lapointe and Sean Burke.

- Marc Antoine Godin

Unfortunately, Godin doesn't name any names, but we know that the team's next GM must be bilingual and that limits the list of candidates considerably. Team Canada star Marie Philip Poulin has been active in growing the sport of women's hockey in her native Quebec, alongside former teammate Caroline Ouelette. While these two women obviously have a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience, neither of them have professional experience as a general manager. If I'm a Habs fan I'd be real nervous about the idea of a rookie GM taking over the league's most historic franchise, regardless of their gender. Ditto goes for women's game legend Manon Rheaume who is currently employed as a Detroit Red Wings analyst for Bally Sports Detroit. 

In Rheaume's case though, she has been involved at the executive level for Hockey Canada off and on throughout the years, so I could see the Habs having interest in her as a potential GM. 

Thoughts, Habs fans?