Kent Hughes' Candid Take on Patrik Laine Raises Questions About His Future in Montreal
General manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes, made several interesting statements during his most recent press conference.
He was asked about a wide range of topics that we have already covered, but there is one last issue we wanted to address: the case of Patrik Laine.
Hughes was directly asked what he thinks of Laine's performance since his acquisition, and let's just say that his response, along with his body language, wasn't particularly convincing.
More and more, we are wondering if Laine has a future in Montreal.
Kent Hughes finally says what he really thinks about Patrik Laine
He obviously remained as neutral as possible, but he clearly admitted that Laine has had some rough patches (especially recently) and that he absolutely needs to work on his defensive game.
Unfortunately, this has become a recurring issue for him.
- Kent Hughes
He had more to say during his press conference, but his tone spoke volumes.
We really hope that things work out for Laine and that he can develop into a more complete player because he has elite tools in his skill set.
If things don't change, I would be surprised to see the Canadiens re-sign Laine at the end of his current contract, which pays him nearly $9 million per year until 2026.
However, if Laine does improve his defensive game, as Kent Hughes mentioned, then the organization could absolutely change its mind, one way or the other, depending on Laine's development over the next few months.
Unless he signs a contract extension, he will be a free agent on July 1, 2026, and that could mark the end of his time in Montreal.
| POLL | ||
MARS 11 | 2501 ANSWERS Kent Hughes' Candid Take on Patrik Laine Raises Questions About His Future in Montreal Do you think Kent Hughes should sign Patrik Laine to a contract extension? | ||
| Yes | 512 | 20.5 % |
| No | 1989 | 79.5 % |
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