Kent Hughes is very active with his phone, especially since last night.

Kent Hughes has made no secret of the fact that he’d like to make a Kirby Dach-style deal at the draft.

The idea of using a defenseman or pick to acquire a young player has gained ground in recent weeks, and this possibility is clearly stronger than ever.

Darren Dreger indicated earlier today that the CH is currently studying the market with a view to making a transaction… If Kent Hughes knows he has the tools to do it.

David Pagnotta’s recent comments are along the same lines.

Like Dreger, he indicated that the Habs are currently active on the trade market… And Pagnotta went so far as to suggest that we could expect developments on this front as early as today.

Clearly, the matter is progressing and is one to watch.

It’s obvious, Kent Hughes has his phone going these days. He’s doing his homework… But he’s also actively trying to improve his club.

When it comes to Kirby Dach candidates, the possibilities are endless. Colleague Marc-Olivier Beaudoin floated two ideas on Twitter, both of which I really like.

Basically, he’s talking aboutOwen Tippett and Kaapo Kakko, two young players who could fit in with the CH’s vision.

But then again, there are many candidates. Some are talking about Quinton Byfield in LA, I’ve seen comments about Yegor Sharangovich in New Jersey…

And there’s also a world where Kent Hughes decides to go for a young defender. At this level, we could think of Noah Dobson (New York), Adam Boqvist (Columbus)…

In a nutshell.

Last year, Kent Hughes stole the show at the Montreal draft with the deal that sent Alex Romanov to the Islanders and the one that brought Dach to Montreal. The word around the NHL right now is that the CH GM is repeating last year’s scenario…

And it will be interesting to see what the team’s management does between now and tomorrow night. Because right now, the organization’s plans are pretty much unknown.

Breaking news

– A one-year, $4 million contract for Nick Foligno in Chicago.

Happy to have you, Nick 👋 pic.twitter.com/uyuMquC9Lu

– Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) June 27, 2023

– Nice initiative.

– Machine.

– Minor signing in Columbus.

– They will become independent players in the next few days.