Francois GiguereDavid Zalubowski/The Associated Press
Um, yeah, about Francois Giguere being the logical choice to be the Montreal Canadiens' next GM? Never mind.
According to Richard Labbe of La Presse, who is a friend of this space, Giguere has been told he's out of the frame for the job.
Given the main quotes in Labbe's story are from Giguere himself, we're going to give this one a 100 per cent on the credibility meter.
"The Canadiens let me know that I'm no longer in the running. They told me very recently, but I don't want to say more because I wouldn't want to hinder the team," the 48-year-old Giguere said.
So there you have it.
The Quebec City native was GM of the Colorado Avalanche from 2006-09, and had previously worked for the team as an executive and scout (he had a hand in a pair of Stanley Cups). He was most recently in the employ of the Boston Bruins as a pro scout, but sat out this last season for family reasons.
He told La Presse that he was indeed interested and that the team had reached out to him. You can read the story here.
So that means the names of Marc Bergevin (assistant GM in Chicago), Julien BriseBois (assistant GM in Tampa) and Pierre McGuire (NBC television analyst), are the three final ones on the short-list.
Having gone out on a limb on Tuesday morning to anoint Giguere, only to have it snap in half, we're going to gingerly step out on another one: If Giguere has been told he's not the guy, that must mean the search is reaching its conclusion.
Smart money now shifts to Bergevin, who also ticks all the boxes, although the other two could just as easily end up with the job – as could someone whose name has not yet been made public.