(Brossard) In addition to talking about global issues concerning the Montreal Canadiens, general manager Kent Hughes addressed various topics during his mid-season review.
Here are some interesting things mentioned by Hughes in bulk:
Hughes wouldn’t go so far as to say that Samuel Montembeault had established himself as the Habs’ future goaltender, but admitted to seeing “some potential” in the 26-year-old Quebecer. Hughes even claimed that “Sam isn’t going anywhere” when asked if he could be traded by the March 3 trade deadline.
In terms of the goalie situation, Hughes put the situation regarding prospect Cayden Primeau into perspective. The latter has not gotten a start since being called up for relief to Jake Allen, injured. Primeau has been plagued by injuries since the start of the campaign with the Laval Rocket, but also had a tough time with a 3.65 GAA and .890 save percentage in 13 outings. “We want to put him in the best possible position to be successful and I expect him to play soon,” Hughes said of himself.
Forward Cole Caufield is in the final year of his rookie contract and could become a restricted free agent this summer. Hughes claimed that “we want Cole with us for the long term and we believe Cole wants to stay for the long term.” Hughes added, however, that he wanted to keep negotiations between the two sides private to avoid the situation “becoming a distraction for the player or the team”. Caufield leads the Canadiens with 26 goals in 45 games this season.
Acquired this summer in a three-team trade that led to the departure of Alexander Romanov, forward Kirby Dach has already set a career high with 29 points in 45 games this season. Dach has mostly had success on the wing with Nick Suzuki and Caufield. He’s been looking good the past few games at center, despite his troubles in the face-off circle. “Long term, we like the idea of Dach at center,” Hughes admitted.