The Canadiens won’t go looking for talent if it limits youth development

The Habs are currently rebuilding and can count on a number of interesting assets for the future.

The club is brimming with talent, both on defense and offense… And the goal right now is to see the organization’s crown jewels progress.

That was the main objective of the 22-23 season, and it will be again next season, although Kent Hughes says expectations will be higher.

That said, in two or three years… the CH should be able to compete with the NHL’s top clubs (if all goes well). We already like the development of the team’s young players, and the CEO, when asked about this by Pierre LeBrun in Chicago, was clear: that’s what’s important right now.

Everyone knows that the Habs will have plenty of room to move next summer, but don’t expect the club to be aggressive.

Right now, on the organization’s side, the idea is simple: while the idea of picking up talented players may make fans salivate, we don’t want to “block” the progression of the club’s main tools:

If we spend money to improve our team for a year or two, but deprive or limit the development of players who will be part of the team’s success in a few years’ time, we wouldn’t have the right vision. – Kent Hughes

LeBrun and Russo: Are Hellebuyck and Scheifele staying put with the #nhljets? Plus many, many other rumblings from NHL GM meetings

By@PierreVLeBrunand me

🚨take advantage of our $1 per month for 12 months promo before training camps 🚨 https://t.co/Cy8UANSosG

– Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) September 8, 2023

Damn, I love these comments.

The organization has a plan in mind and we can’t just throw everything out the window to be good tomorrow. Management knows that, in the meantime, it gives us a better chance of being competitive in two or three years…

And we have to respect that.

Kent Hughes is a long-term thinker, by the way. Maybe it was the first time he thought short-term when he decided to trade Mike Hoffman’s contract (Jeff Petry’s deal) to Pittsburgh…

But that’s because the former CH player simply didn’t fit in with the club’s vision. There’s some nuance here, I think.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Patience is the key… And it’s by following his plan that Kent Hughes will succeed in taking his club to the next level.

I don’t know about you, but I’m confident.

Breaking news

– Ahem. Good question!

The first round in NHL fantasy will look a lot different than last year, who will go in the top five? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/VFVJpVjHYZ

– BarDown (@BarDown) September 9, 2023

– Really?

– Some interesting names are still available for the various NHL teams.

– Machine.

– Nice!

– A nice surprise from the start at the Rugby World Cup.