Kent Hughes wants another top-10 pick

The Canadiens have acquired the 21st pick from the Los Angeles Kings.

Does this mean that Kent Hughes has finished his job?

You know the answer to that question.

After all, according to current reports, the Habs GM is very aggressive on the market.

Darren Dreger reports on Twitter that Hughes “would like” to get his hands on another top-10 pick…

And that the Montreal GM is throwing lines in the water to see if he can move up or down from the club’s (original) top-5 pick.

Will be interesting to see if Hughes is able to work more magic. He’s hoping to add another top 10 pick and is listening to interest in moving up or slightly down from 5. He’s also involved in a number of player related discussions. https://t.co/4j59cGjLSt

– Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 28, 2024

You have to unpack all this.

We know that some clubs are open to the idea of trading their first-round pick.

Here, I’m thinking mainly of the Blue Jackets (4th), the Utah team (6th), the Sens (7th) and the Devils (10th).

That said, if Hughes wants another top-10 pick, it’s because he has an idea in mind.

He could…

• Select another player in the top-10
• Use the top-10 pick to trade for a quality player

The first option could be interesting if Hughes wants to select a forward AND a defenseman in the top-10 of the draft.

With good reason: the 2024 crop is very talented… both offensively and defensively.

The other idea would be for the GM to take one of the two top-10 picks in a Kirby Dach-style deal.

If that’s what happens… Can we believe that the Habs GM will call Barry Trotz for Yaroslav Askarov, given that Juuse Saros is about to sign an eight-year contract in Nashville?

Is Kent Hughes interested in picking up Rutger McGroarty in Winnipeg?

Will the GM experiment with Eric Tulsky to get Martin Necas out of Carolina?

Hearing Carolina is working hard to acquire a top 7 pick in this year’s draft. #CauseChaos

– Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) June 28, 2024

The options are (almost) limitless, and that’s the beauty of it.

But one thing’s for sure… Kent Hughes is proving once again that he’s not afraid to make a move at the draft.

And that’s what makes him such a creative GM.

Overtime

– Oh.

Deal between PHI and #cbj is dead, I’m told.

Everything remains on the table for the #Flyers.

– Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) June 28, 2024

– Interesting…

Late money coming in hard for Buium at 3. Oddsmakers know something. This is like the massive change leading up to the moment on Slafkovsky which they had some insight on somehow.

– Brian Wilde (@BWildeMTL) June 28, 2024

– It changes things a bit.

#2024NHLDraft Anton Silayev says he will play out his contract in Russia (2026) before thinking about coming over.

– Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) June 28, 2024