Kent Hughes Confirmed to Have Contacted Nashville for a Trade That Never Materialized
Photo credit: NHL
Episode four of season 2 of the behind-the-scenes documentary on the Montreal Canadiens is now streaming on Crave.
It's a very interesting episode, because it focuses on the NHL trade deadline.
We learn in particular that, a few weeks before the deadline, Kent Hughes contacted the Nashville Predators (their GM Barry Trotz) to work out a trade involving a very specific player from the Predators.
That trade never ended up crossing the finish line, and the name of the player involved was censored, but as the excellent Marco Normandin mentions,we still have four likely names.
Four players targeted as possible pieces in the discussed trade between the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators
Marco makes it clear.
Nashville traded four NHL players during that period:
- Forward Gustav Nyquist (traded to Minnesota for a 2nd-round pick).
- Center Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn (traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Michael Bunting and a 4th-round pick).
- Center Mark Jankowski (traded to Carolina for a 5th-round pick)
- Center Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn (traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Michael Bunting and a 4th-round pick).
- Center Mark Jankowski (traded to Carolina for a 5th-round pick)
It was probably one of these four players.
That means we could very well have seen TWO trades completed between the Canadiens and the Predators last season, in addition to the deal involving Justin Barron and Alexandre Carrier.
Clearly, Kent Hughes and Barry Trotz enjoy negotiating together.
As for this other trade that was discussed between the two camps last season, my guess would lean toward Tommy Novak.
He's a center with intriguing potential, still fairly young, and in my opinion, he would best fit the Canadiens' needs.
Novak, 28 years old, is a 6'1", 179-pound center who recorded 43 points in 51 games in 2023! (a 70-point pace over 82 games)
He added 22 points in 52 games as well as 45 points in 71 games over the last two seasons.
Do you think Kent Hughes could circle back on one of these players?
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 4 | 1189 ANSWERS Kent Hughes Confirmed to Have Contacted Nashville for a Trade That Never Materialized Would you have traded a 3rd-round pick + Jayden Struble for Novak? | ||
| Yes | 495 | 41.6 % |
| No | 694 | 58.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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