General manager Kent Hughes has remained in Montreal as the Canadiens embark on a four-game road trip against Western Conference opponents.
Hughes may have stayed home to work out some scenarios for the NHL’s trade deadline, which was set for Friday, when the Habs will once again be a seller. Defenseman Joel Edmundson, who has missed 20 games this season due to a mysterious injury, was scheduled to practice with his teammates on Monday in San Jose, Calif.
Center Sean Monahan, another bait for Hughes, remains on the Montreal organization’s long-term injured list. He has been sidelined with a lower-body injury since Dec. 5, and his name was moved to the long-term injured list on Jan. 17.
Hughes is in his second season as CH general manager, and he was particularly in demand at the trade deadline last year, when he radically reshaped the team’s roster.
As the 2021-22 trade deadline approached, Hughes traded forward Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames for forwards Tyler Pitlick and Emil Heineman, a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft and a a 2022 first-round pick who became striker Filip Mešár.
Hughes then offered defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers in return for a conditional first-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, in addition to securing hope in attacks Ty Smilanic.
He traded forward Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Justin Barron and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hughes also traded defenseman Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers for the forward prospect William Lagesson and a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, who eventually became defenseman Lane Hutson. The Habs are 5-3-0 since returning from the All-Star break, allowing Hughes to solidify his position as a seller.
Interest in Drouin and Hoffman?
The Bleu-blanc-rouge has already parted ways with Russian forward Evgenii Dadonov, who went to Dallas in return for forward Denis Gurianov on Sunday. The Canadiens also withheld 50% of Dadonov’s US$5 million annual salary.
Forwards Jonathan Drouin and Mike Hoffman also upped their game in January and February, which could allow Hughes to get something interesting in return.
Drouin, from Sainte-Agathe, has still not hit the target this season and has amassed 12 of his 18 assists after the 1er January. The winger – who is in the final year of a six-year, $33 million contract offered by former Canadian general manager Marc Bergevin – is aware that he may find himself in other places.
“It’s up to me to show that I’m able to play well, if a team wants me on March 3,” Drouin said after a performance of three assists in CH’s 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackahawks on Feb. 14. But for now, I’m part of the Canadiens, and we’ll see what happens by then. »
Hoffman still has a full season left on his contract, which pays him $4.5 million annually. However, the forward has taken full advantage of his playing time with nine points (1-8) in his last ten games, including three assists in a 4-3 stoppage time win over the New York Islanders on Feb. 11.
Hughes could also become the matchmaker to facilitate trades involving other teams as the expiration date approaches. A new trend has established itself this season, when a third team included in a transaction involving a star player, for example, is often compensated for agreeing to cover part of his salary.
For now, I’m part of the Canadian, and we’ll see what happens from here. [le 3 mars]
For example, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin allowed center Ryan O’Reilly to be traded from the St. Louis Blues to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 17. The Wild earned a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft as they agreed to pay 25% of O’Reilly’s salary for the remainder of the campaign.
According to CapFriendly, Hughes and the Habs have approximately $4.14 million in wiggle room under the salary cap. An ideal position to allow them to help teams involved in the race for the playoffs to remain under the salary cap, in return for enviable draft picks.