An Injured Player Leaves the Canadiens Organization and Officially Announces His Departure

Connor Hughes, signed as a free agent last summer by Kent Hughes, has ultimately decided to return to Europe.

The goaltender ends up having just a brief stint within the Canadiens organization, but the circumstances surrounding his departure are quite unusual.

I don't remember ever seeing anything like this.

It's a truly strange situation because Hughes is still under contract with the Montreal Canadiens, is currently on the Laval Rocket's injured list, and his current team is right in the midst of the playoffs.

Let's not forget that Hughes has a valid NHL contract, announced by the Montreal Canadiens, and a contract that was directly offered by Kent Hughes.

So this is not insignificant.

It's understood that with Jacob Fowler's arrival, Hughes was pushed to the sidelines (especially since he's injured), but his team in Switzerland really could've waited before announcing his signing, especially considering he's technically not even a free agent at the moment.

Here's the official announcement from his next team.

It's probably not illegal under IIHF rules, but it's still unusual, and most experts agree that the situation is quite strange.

It won't happen, but what if the Canadiens suddenly decided to offer him a major contract extension?

In any case, it's settled for Connor Hughes.

His time with the Montreal Canadiens organization is over, even though his current contract isn't.

Hughes, 28, posted a 15-12-2 record this season under coach Pascal Vincent, with a goals-against average of 2.58 and a save percentage of .905.