Eager to send a clear message to his team, Hughes notably called up forward Josh Roy, who has been performing exceptionally well with the Laval Rocket.
But that's not all.
In the afternoon, the organization announced the reassignment of Lucas Condotta to the American Hockey League, which is obviously a big disappointment for him:
Since the announcement, let's just say it's been stirring up discussion.
Condotta is not the savior of the Montreal Canadiens, not at all, but it's true that this sends a rather unusual message to the rest of the team.
As many have pointed out, some players who clearly deserve it less are staying in the lineup, while one of the hardest-working players in recent games is being sent down.
Condotta earned every minute he spent with the Montreal Canadiens and in the National Hockey League.
He wasn't perfect for the Canadiens, but he was clearly setting an example and excelled in doing the little things that make a difference in a game.
In short, he's a young player who behaves like a true veteran.
Do you agree with this? Is it unfair to Condotta?
I must admit, it's hard to argue against this. Lucas Condotta, 27 years old, is a 6 foot 1, 218-pound forward.
He was never drafted and has scored two goals in 11 career games in the NHL.
With the Laval Rocket, he has accumulated four points in nine games this season and is also the captain of Pascal Vincent's team.
I just hope that a player like Kirby Dach, who has been heavily criticized in recent hours, will still understand the message.
He needs to take inspiration from a player like Condotta and step up his game.
POLL | ||
Would you have punished Dach instead? | ||
Yes | 934 | 67.9 % |
No | 442 | 32.1 % |
List of polls |