Surprising Name Emerges in Last-Minute Trade Rumours: Could Kent Hughes Be on the Verge of Trading an Underrated Defenseman?

During a recent episode of Radio-Canada's podcast Tellement hockey, the excellent Marc-Antoine Godin added a name not often heard to this list. It's defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic.

The 26-year-old right-handed defenseman indeed has some value on the trade market. His salary of $766,667 against the cap combined with his physical style of play could be of interest to many teams. In 51 games this season, the defenseman has accumulated 6 goals and 3 assists for a total of 9 points.

As Simon-Olivier Lorange mentions in a recent article for La Presse, Kovacevic's efficiency could be a plus for a team during the playoffs. The problem for Kent Hughes is that he wouldn't bring back much. Given his low value and the lack of depth and experience on the right side of the defense, the GM might simply decide to keep him.

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