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Montreal Impact GMs Randy Randleman and Jasper Clayton battle for the puck in a game between the Impact and the Kelowna Knights.</div>

Montreal, Québec

Following last weeks' report that changes were expected to come in Montreal this offseason, we've received further reports that may shed some more light on the situation.

According to sources close to the team, part of what has contributed to the current state of conflict within the team is the prior history of the two GMs prior to them being named the GM and Co-GM of the Impact, respectively.

Speaking on anonymity, a source has informed the Montreal Gazette that "a rift has begun to form between [Impact GM] Randy Randleman and [Impact Co-GM] Jasper Clayton, and it doesn't look like something that is going to be resolved any time soon."

What could this disagreement be concerning? Well, it seems that the disagreement goes back to their time before joining the Impact organization.

Many fans may not be familiar with the backgrounds of the two members of Montreal management, so for those who are unaware here's a short explanation of where they came from:

Head GM Randy Randleman began his career as an undrafted free agent, after he managed to sleep through the draft and completely miss it. He was signed as a free agent by the Kelowna Knights, and quickly rose through the ranks. In the end, he was drafted first overall by the Calgary Dragons in the S24 SHL Draft, and would be named captain of the Knights in his last two seasons. While he never played a game for the Montreal Impact, nor did he have any ties to the team whatsoever, he was still named the team's Co-GM in S25, and the team's head GM in S26.

Impact Co-GM Jasper Clayton joined the SMJHL a season later, drafted eighth overall not by the Impact, but instead by the Detroit Falcons. Clayton would actually lose to the Impact in the first round of the playoffs in S24 as a member of the Falcons, but would go on to be drafted 2nd overall to the New England Wolfpack in the S25 SHL draft. That season he was named captain of the Falcons, but after a poor showing in the regular season that saw the team tanking for last place, he was traded to the Montreal Impact where he would play out the rest of his SMJHL career. At the end of that season, he was named the team's Co-GM by Randleman.

But now, their divergent paths seem to have led to some conflict. Reports out of Montreal have indicated that Clayton does not believe someone with 0 games played in a Montreal Impact uniform should be allowed to run the team, and plans to step down at season's end in response to this travesty.

When we reached out to Clayton for comment on this matter, a spokesperson responded as follows:


Neither GM Randy Randleman nor the Montreal Impact front office responded to requests for comment by press time.

If Clayton does leave the Montreal Impact organization at season's end, it stands to reason that not everyone will be happy with this decision. Many fans, players, and alumni have enamored themselves to the Brit, and will be very disappointed to see him leave.

Buster Killington is one of those alums who will be extremely disappointed to see Clayton leaving. Recently he was quoted as saying that, because of the work of Randleman and Clayton together, "the atmosphere has changed in Montreal, and it's certainly for the better," citing Clayton's free agency approach of "pick up everyone that moves and have incredible depth" as one of the reason's why.

But even so, Killington believes that Randleman deserves most of the credit. When asked who he thought should be the next to have his number retired in Montreal, he responded that, as "an Impact alumnus and fan," there was only one option for the next banner to be raised into the rafters: "Randy Randleman, an inspiration to us all."

For all of your Montreal Impact news during the season and after, I’m Martí Zuviria of the Montreal Gazette. As always, we’ll have more for you on this story as it develops.