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It was Jeff Gorton who called Alexandre Carrier (and not Kent Hughes) after the trade.

 Charles-Alexis Brisebois
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It was Jeff Gorton who called Alexandre Carrier (and not Kent Hughes) after the trade.
Credit: Getty Images
The Montreal Canadiens, last night, acquired the services of Quebecer Alexandre Carrier. In return, Justin Barron is heading to Nashville to continue his career.

It is known that the Quebecer is happy to be in town and that he has received the green light to play, after being injured. However, there are still several angles to address regarding this transaction.

What do I take away from the Canadiens’ trade?

1. It was Jeff Gorton – and not Kent Hughes – who called Alexandre Carrier to welcome him to Montreal. Normally, it is the GM’s job to do this after a trade.

The main interested party confirmed this to Maxim Lapierre from La Poche Bleue. Great job by Max to have him so quickly, by the way!

It is important to note that normally, it is the GM who calls a player in such a situation. But here, it was the VP of the Canadiens who took the phone to call the club’s new acquisition.

There are two reasons that might justify why it was Gorton who called and not Kent Hughes.

  • The GM is on the other side of the world
  • The VP is the real boss of hockey operations

In my opinion, the fact that Kent Hughes is on the other side of the world (he was on Tuesday, anyway) can explain why Gorton took the phone to call Carrier. Who knows if Hughes was sleeping at the time of the announcement.

Kent Hughes certainly receives calls like this. But here, in my view, there are circumstances.

The trade was likely discussed before Hughes left for Russia to see Ivan Demidov play. It was formalized, notice, when Carrier was taken off the injured list.

That said, when we know that Jeff Gorton is the boss in Montreal, the question is worth raising nonetheless.

2. Kent Hughes, a former Quartexx agent, went to get a client from Quartexx. And even though they haven’t worked together much (Carrier has not been with the agency for years, and Hughes has never been his agent), it is still noteworthy.

If the Canadiens want to know a player’s character, all contacts are good.

3. The Canadiens not only traded for present talent but also exchanged a player obtained by the new administration. Marc Bergevin has nothing to do with Justin Barron’s presence in town (who is on his third organization, mind you).

But since the Canadiens wanted reinforcement in the top-4, it was the right thing to do.

4. This morning, on the radio (BPM Sports), Anthony Marcotte said that this summer, the Canadiens had interest in Alexandre Carrier. He, however, decided not to become a free agent and signed for $3.75 million a year until 2027.

So he got himself back by acquiring him through trade.

5. The Predators trading Carrier for a defender (Barron) who may never be as established as the Quebecer, is this a sign that Barry Trotz’s reconstruction threats were valid?

The question arises.

6. Carrier will stabilize the Montreal defense. He can play around twenty minutes per game and in short-handed situations, and while he may not be as offensive as Barron can be, he has a clear identity in the NHL.

That will definitely help.


In Brief

– Interesting.

– NHL: how to manage the Canadian dollar? [98.5 FM]

– Alexandre Carrier knows Trevor Letowski. #TeamCanada

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