Kent Hughes is no stranger to June trades: What will he do this month?

Marc-Olivier Cook
Kent Hughes is no stranger to June trades: What will he do this month?
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire

June must surely be Kent Hughes's favorite month.

Why do I say that?

Because the Canadiens' GM has always made trades in June since taking the helm as GM of the Montreal Canadiens. And 2026 is unlikely to be any different.

Let's take a quick look back at the Habs' June trades since Hughes took over. Let's go in order:

  • The Shea Weber trade (which brought Evgenii Dadonov to Montreal) in 2022
  • Alex Newhook trade in 2023
  • 2024 draft trade (to move up and draft Michael Hage)
  • Johnathan Kovacevic trade (who headed to New Jersey) in 2024
  • Noah Dobson trade in 2025
  • 2025 draft trade (to move up and draft Alexander Zharovsky)
  • Cayden Primeau trade in 2025

It's often in the summer that we see Kent Hughes make moves. And all these trades don't even include the one involving Kirby Dach (and Alexander Romanov)… which took place at the 2022 draft (which ultimately happened in July).

So the question arises: what will the Montreal Canadiens' GM do this month? 

(Credit: Getty Images)

Right now, Kent Hughes has an important file on his desk.

And you'll understand that I'm talking about Brendan Gallagher… who could be traded by the end of the week.

But the Habs' GM also needs to find a way to resolve the situation in front of his team's net. Jakub Dobes has become the team's No. 1 goaltender, and we expect to see Jacob Fowler start the upcoming NHL season… which means Samuel Montembeault may no longer be in the Canadiens' plans as of this writing.

And we know there will be interest in the Quebec native from all corners of the NHL. 

But let's not rule out the possibility of Kent Hughes making a big trade, either. He's fully equipped and has a plan to improve his team for next season: could we see a major acquisition arrive in town by the end of June?

I have a feeling we might…


In a nutshell

– Me too.

– Who would you pick?

– Hmm…

– Oh, really.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!