Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said he was happy with his team’s progress this season and sent the message to players that expectations will change next season.
During his review, Hughes highlighted the culture that developed at the Canadiens under the tutelage of coach Martin St-Louis. The players gave their all night after night and the hopes of the team were able to flourish in a positive environment.
However, injuries have repeatedly hit the Habs squad. And while that opened the door for other players to prove themselves, Hughes and vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton stressed that everything will be reviewed to see if the team can change things to avoid reliving this nightmare.
Although Hughes spoke of higher expectations next season, he didn’t want to set a specific short-term goal like a playoff appearance. He remains focused on the long-term goal, which is to make the Canadiens a team that can aim for top honors season after season.
Hughes said he will spend the next few days in particular assessing the situation of players whose contracts are coming to an end. Among them are Jonathan Drouin and Sean Monahan.
Cole Caufield will also have to sign a new contract by the start of the next campaign.
And there will be the repechage on June 28 and 29 in Nashville. Hughes said he’s confident he can get his hands on a quality prospect, even if the Canadiens don’t win the lottery for the top pick on May 8.
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