Habs extend Sedgwick, promote him to Laval GM

The Montreal Canadiens announced a contract extension for assistant general manager John Sedgwick on Wednesday.

As part of his new contract, Sedgwick also assumes the GM role for the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket.

The team says Sedgwick will participate in player contract negotiations, salary cap management and the administration of all matters related to the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement. Having been with the team since 2013, initially coming aboard as the team's director of legal affairs, Sedgwick has served as the principal governor of the Rocket since the team's inception in 2017 and helped to oversee the addition of the Trois-Rivieres Lions as the team's ECHL affiliate in 2021.

“Since I started with the Canadiens, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible work John does across all levels of our hockey operations department,” the Canadiens executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said in a statement. “John is a talented manager with a vast experience in the hockey world and a deep knowledge of how professional hockey works. His contributions to our affiliate team system, be it with the Rocket or the Lions, deserve recognition, and we are excited to extend our relationship. On behalf of the organization, we are confident that he will brilliantly meet the challenges related to his new functions as general manager of the Rocket."

Prior to joining the Habs, Sedgwick worked at the NHL's head office in Toronto as part of the league's operations department from 2006 to 2013.