Canadiens at the deadline: Three things to keep in mind for Kent Hughes

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Canadiens at the deadline: Three things to keep in mind for Kent Hughes
Credit: YouTube / habs

If Kent Hughes wants to improve his team at the trade deadline in preparation for the playoffs, he'll have to get up early to make his move.

I say this because the GM himself has said that it will be hard to make a move between now and the deadline. Circumstances in 2026 work against teams who want to buy.

But despite everything, the GM is going to try. And obviously, he'll have (at least) three things to keep in mind for the future.

1. If the Habs GM wants to make a move, he'll have to make sure he does so with the Canadiens' future in mind. And that's even if making it to the playoffs in 2026 would also be interesting.

During an appearance on Tony Marinaro's Sick Podcast, Pierre LeBrun reminded us that this is the Habs' mentality: to balance the short-term and long-term goals of the organization.

LeBrun talked about the fact that the Habs could, for example, wait to see what Oliver Kapanen and Michael Hage will give the club before thinking of going after a second center.

Why pay when you have in-house resources who are younger and over whom you have more control in terms of salary?

2. In the same vein, not looking for external reinforcement would mean that the group's chemistry would remain intact. For the locker room, that would be a plus.

After all, the guys really seem to like each other. The GM can't stop himself from making deals simply in the name of sacrosanct chemistry, but he can't ignore that aspect either.

3. Before making a move, Kent Hughes will also have to see what the return of his injured players will bring him. Does he think he has enough grit among the guys already in place? Could there be a better option to help Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in-house than on the open market?

Renaud Lavoie (BPM Sports) discussed this with the Morning Club guys: if the club feels it can get what it needs internally, going to the trade market will become far less important.

We're not saying it will be impossible to make a move. What we are saying is that the GM will have to consider several factors (in addition to the natural parameters such as the return requested by the other team and the player's contract to be obtained) to avoid shooting himself in the foot.

It's an issue to be followed closely, as the club can't mortgage its future on an ugly transaction.


overtime

– What's the Senators' plan?

– Did the Giants just pull off a major coup?

– The Canucks are in waiting mode.

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