Report of the DG of the Canadian | Seven files to attack during the summer

Like his players, Kent Hughes took stock on Saturday. The general manager didn’t fully open his game about his plans for the team over the next few weeks, but he did offer several leads. The point in seven files.

Simon Olivier Lorange
The Press

The repechage

Fans rejoiced when, by finishing last in the overall standings, the Canadian secured one of the first three picks in the draft next July. For many people, the file is on the back burner until the Stanley Cup final, but for the staff of the CH, the preparation is in full swing. It is this element that Kent Hughes has cited as his priority at the moment. He recalled that he had 14 caps, including 7 in the first three rounds. Kent Hughes therefore multiplies the meetings with his scouts and has just returned from Germany, where he attended the World Under-18 Championship, and he will soon fly to Finland, where the World Seniors will take place, a tournament in which the Europe’s best young players are often invited.

Lighten the budget

Warning to the reader: there will be a lot of talk about money in the next segments. Because the budget of the Habs is tight as possible. According to the CapFriendly site, a reference in the matter, a little more than 81.5 million have already been invested in salaries for the 2022-2023 season, which leaves a space of barely a million under the ceiling determined by the league. The GM remains cautious: he will not systematically get rid of his highest paid players for the simple advantage of giving himself some leeway. It does not exclude, for example, withholding part of a player’s salary as part of a transaction, provided that the flexibility acquired in the short term does not have a long-term impact, i.e. when the he team will be ready to aspire to great honours. The fact remains that over the next few years, reducing its payroll “will be very important,” he said. “In the current system, you can draft the best players, but at some point it has to work with the salary cap. »

Shea Weber

In Montreal, “liberating the payroll” now rhymes with “unraveling the Shea Weber file”. It is well known that CH are looking to get rid of the heavy contract of their captain – who will no longer be captain next season, by the way. The case of Weber, like the Canadian political system as explained in The Boys II, it is complicated. He will obviously no longer play, but is careful not to announce his retirement, because the formalization of this decision would have different financial impacts. As the situation tickles the league and its insurer, the ex-defender keeps a low profile and does not meet the media. This does not prevent his weight on the payroll from remaining a problem for the CH, which still has hope of finding a taker team for this big contract. Is there still a market for this type of exchange? asked a reporter. “Yes,” Hughes replied succinctly.

Carey Price

The story of Carey Price having been widely detailed in the media, in particular being the subject of multiple articles in the largest French daily in America, there is no need to return to his complex medical assessment. The fact remains that his name will often be pronounced on the seventh floor of the Bell Center until the leaves change color. By Kent Hughes’ own admission, a clear verdict on the condition of his goalkeeper’s knee would make his job easier. The answer, if it exists, is in the hands of the medical staff following Price. At a glance, two scenarios are emerging. If Price sinks his knee into the Styx and is able to play in the fall, his GM could consider a trade or roll out his rebuild around him. Otherwise, Price, a prisoner of uncertainty, would fail again on the long-term injured list, in Montreal or elsewhere if his contract is exchanged. Level of complexity: see Weber, Shea.

Martin St Louis

This is not the most burning dilemma of the moment, because both parties want to come to an agreement. Kent Hughes wants Martin St-Louis to continue the work he started behind the bench, and he would be happy to give him a “at least three-year” contract. And the head coach has also expressed his desire to remain the head coach of the Canadiens. St-Louis’ interim mandate is still approaching its end and a formal pact must be concluded, otherwise any team could seek his services. Negotiations should begin shortly; one suspects that they will not be, unless there is a surprise, painful. St-Louis also revealed Friday evening that if he returns to Montreal at the end of the summer, his wife and their youngest son will still stay in Connecticut, which Hughes did not take issue with.

contracts to sign

They are not the big stars of the club, but Kent Hughes nevertheless has a few other negotiations on fire. Alexander Romanov, Samuel Montembeault, Cayden Primeau, Rem Pitlick, Michael Pezzetta and Kale Clague are all set to become restricted free agents, while a few unrestricted free agents could be retained – Chris Wideman and Tyler Pitlick, for example. “Preliminary discussions” have already taken place with players and their agents, but no announcement is imminent, we understand. All smiles, Alexander Romanov has however already indicated how much he “loves Montreal”, adding that he wants to “stay here as long as possible”. Fans will rejoice in this surge of enthusiasm. His agent, maybe a little less.

Rejuvenate training

The ball is not only in the camp of Kent Hughes, but he did not hide that his formation would present a somewhat rejuvenated face at the start of the school year. He’s been excited about the auditions Justin Barron and Jordan Harris have secured this season, and he’s already looking forward to the leap to pros of defenders Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj and forward Jan Mysak. We could add to his list forwards Jesse Ylönen and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who are making their mark in the American League. “The youth is coming,” Hughes said, although decisions about which players will be made based on their individual development and not the Canadian’s one-time needs. “We have to see how ready they are,” he said, adding without transition that back and forth between the CH and the Laval Rocket could be numerous in 2023-2023. Three rookies in defense are unlikely to play all 82 games, he noted. “We will not take that risk. »