Although the Canadian finished 26the With the NHL’s top goal-scoring team last season, finding a forward or forwards to bolster the team’s top two lines isn’t a priority for Kent Hughes. It’s not out of the question that his team will start next season with a largely unchanged roster.
Since the end of the campaign, the CH general manager assures that he has tried to seek help through transactions or on the free agent market, which opened on Monday.
In both cases, he did not find a satisfactory agreement in his eyes. The manager was very active on the sidelines of the recent draft, in Las Vegas, but he did not, he says, “find a trade that could have worked for us and for the other team.”
He is wary of a transaction that would cause his group to stagnate. For example, sacrificing a talented young player to acquire another. “We want to move forward,” he summarized. “If we can use our surplus to improve the team, we will do it. Otherwise, we are less interested.”
He nevertheless tried his luck with a few free agents, notably Jonathan Marchessault, who himself revealed on television that the Tricolore had made him a tempting offer.
The Quebecer finally agreed to a five-year deal at an average salary of $5.5 million with the Nashville Predators. On TVA Sports, he said he saw a “better fit ” for him in the country city. Hughes said what had derailed the possibility of an agreement “is that we didn’t want to go to four or five years.”
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Forward Jonathan Marchessault received a contract offer from the Canadiens, but he preferred that of the Nashville Predators.
He did not give further details on the number of poles he extended on Monday. “If we could have matched the length [des contrats]some players would have come” to Montreal, he assures.
For months, management has been faithful to the message it delivers: improve in the short term, yes, but not at the risk of blocking the progression of a young player in the organization. A contract like the one David Perron signed in Ottawa (2 years and 8 million in total) would have been consistent with this desire. However, the Quebecer preferred to leave Detroit for the federal capital.
The manager firmly believes that when the team is ready to take the next step and be competitive, it will have no difficulty convincing free agents to settle in Montreal.
On Monday, “we started the day by saying that if we were able [de trouver du renfort sur les trios offensifs]so much the better “.
“But it is not essential for our long-term objectives,” he said.
Similar training
Kent Hughes is not giving up. He is therefore not ruling out acquiring an offensive forward through a trade by the end of the summer.
The issue of the surplus of defenders, in particular, remains real. He refrained from admitting that the organization had too many, but if the opportunity arose “to make another exchange to advance [son] objective,” he would not hesitate.
The DG, however, does not rule out the return of a formation very similar to the one that ended on 28e overall ranking in 2023-2024. Currently, the Canadiens have 12 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies who were in the regular rotation.
We seem ready to bet on “natural progression”, when “everyone will be a year older”.
“We’re going to grow organically and be better than last year,” Hughes predicted.
A healthy Kirby Dach will instantly help the offense, he believes. “And the young guys are expected to be better.”
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Kirby Dach’s return to play next season should help the team offensively, according to Kent Hughes.
“We add blocks, it’s a continuity. That’s how we take additional steps.”
We didn’t go into the off-season believing we were one player away from the Stanley Cup.
Kent Hughes, general manager of the Canadiens
If there were opportunities for improvement that were consistent with the plan in place – to build a competitive club for the long term and not “just for one year” – he would have made moves accordingly.
But, as we know, that hasn’t happened. Not yet, at least.