Kent Hughes Working on Two Trade Scenarios to Start the Summer, per Darren Dreger
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The NHL season is now over, and general managers around the league, including Kent Hughes, can now shift focus and begin their offseason.
We've already seen a few trades, including those involving Erik Haula and Mason Marchment.
It also wouldn't be surprising to see several more announced before next Friday's draft.
As for the Montreal Canadiens, the excellent Darren Dreger recently confirmed that Kent Hughes is indeed hard at work and is targeting two specific roles in his lineup.
Darren Dreger reports that Kent Hughes is working on two types of trades: one for a second-line center and one for a third-line center
Very interesting!
Darren Dreger: Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is "open for business", wants to improve 2/3 C position, has a lot of trade capital.
- TSN 1050
- TSN 1050
Who will feed young Ivan Demidov?
Let's be honest-between Nick Suzuki on the top line and Jake Evans on the last, there are major gaps to fill.
Especially considering that past experiments with Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook haven't been all that successful.
The most important thing, in my opinion, will be to find a reliable linemate to support Ivan Demidov in his first full NHL season.
He'll need not only a mentor on the ice but also off it. A true NHL veteran who can guide him through tough times-not a player they're hoping to revive.
No, that player won't be Sidney Crosby, but Kent Hughes might surprise us. He's known for pulling off unexpected trades to fill holes in his lineup.
Few of his moves have been predicted-even by the insiders. I'm not worried. I'm confident the Canadiens will have a strong center line next fall.
Christian Dvorak to the rescue?
It'll be interesting to see if the Gorton/Hughes duo considers bringing back Christian Dvorak at a lower price if their trade or free agency searches don't pan out.
The American, who happens to be one of Cole Caufield's best friends, performed quite well this season-especially in the playoffs.
But that was under the team's previous management, not the Gorton/Hughes era.
If he plays the same style as last season but for less money, criticism against him would surely die down.
After all, he put up 33 points in 82 games this year, plus 2 more in 5 playoff matches.
What stands out most is his average ice time of 16:22 during the postseason, with most of those minutes spent on the penalty kill.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 23 | 2438 ANSWERS Kent Hughes Working on Two Trade Scenarios to Start the Summer, per Darren Dreger Who will be the Montreal Canadiens' second-line center this fall? | ||
| Kirby Dach | 543 | 22.3 % |
| Christian Dvorak | 69 | 2.8 % |
| Alex Newhook | 158 | 6.5 % |
| New Center acquired this summer | 1668 | 68.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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