NHL Draft | No options ruled out by Kent Hughes, or even a transaction

For 25 years, Kent Hughes was an agent. For 25 years, he sat down with CEOs, made arguments, used a variety of tactics to get the best deal for his clients.

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

Here he is as general manager, a job that requires just as many negotiating skills. We do not know what his discussions with his counterparts may look like, but in public, he speaks like a real negotiator.

It involves things like hinting that the first overall pick in Thursday’s draft could be traded.

“The decision has not been made. But if the draft was tonight, we would fish,” Hughes replied on Monday, when colleague François Gagnon asked him directly if he intended to use this choice to select a player.

In the particular circumstances of this draft, it was rather surprising to hear such a response.

First, because trading a first pick in total is a practice that, like sitting three in the front seat of a Station Wagon, gets lost. The last time a team traded a first pick (before drafting him) was in 2003. The Pittsburgh Penguins went from 3^e at 1^er rank to claim Marc-André Fleury, while the Florida Panthers selected Nathan Horton with the 3^e choice.

Then, a small detail, this repechage takes place in Montreal. The Bell Center will be full for a rare event. The Habs fish in effect at 1^er rank for the first time since 1980.

“I am aware that it would not be the most popular decision for the fans, admitted the general manager of the Habs, during a meeting with the media in Brossard. […] But my responsibility is to work for the good of the Montreal Canadiens in the long term. We will always look at options to improve the team. »

Later, without the question being directly on the subject, Hughes himself mentioned the possibility of an exchange, “if we receive an offer that we cannot refuse”.

Three Options

Few general managers announce their choice in advance when they speak to 1^er rank. Hughes was expected to continue the tradition, but he went further, saying his team had “not yet” made up their minds. 72 hours from the draft, and 55 days after winning the first-pick lottery.

The problem is well known: unlike Rasmus Dahlin in 2018 or Connor McDavid in 2015, no hope is unanimous. Bob McKenzie of TSN surveyed 10 recruiters: five voted for Juraj Slafkovsky, four for Shane Wright, one for Logan Cooley.

Hughes has also acknowledged that his “homework” (for the first choice) is about three attackers.

At 6’4″ and 229 lbs, winger Slafkovsky is the most physically mature. Center Wright isn’t skinny either, at 6-foot, 199 lbs, and his all-around game is consistently touted. Cooley, also a center, is seen by many as a potential home run. Except that at 180 lbs, he could spend another year eating spinach.

In Buffalo last month, Cooley told us that he was “ready” to spend the next season at the university.

“Most of the first picks play in the NHL, but that doesn’t have to be the case,” Hughes said. We don’t want to draft the best player at 18. We want the one who will be the best at 22, 24, 25 years old. »

It will be found to recall that Trevor Zegras, 9^e pick in 2019, was not penalized while playing in college at 18. Last season, the forward exploded in Anaheim, amassing 61 points in 75 games.

The role of Lecavalier

It will be understood that at such a strategically crucial period, Hughes was not willing to open his game.

Vincent Lecavalier, his special adviser for hockey operations, however, also participated in the press briefing. The former striker has offered some details on his role.

He indeed spoke recently with Wright. The interview was done over the phone, he said. And like Wright for a few years, Lecavalier had long been expected as the first overall pick in 1998.

“We’ve been talking about his status as a n^oh 1, Lecavalier pointed out. It was to understand how he handled it. I started the conversation by telling him how I felt in Rimouski. I found it difficult, it was a lot of pressure. Every day you get asked if you’re going out first. »

Only three more days before these questions stop.