The NHL is heating up, but the Canadiens are still waiting

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The NHL is heating up, but the Canadiens are still waiting
Credit: YouTube / CH

I woke up this morning and noticed that no trades had been announced overnight. Well!

I'm obviously saying this because yesterday was a busy day. In the NHL, four trades involving at least one first-round pick were completed.

They mainly involved Simon Nemec, William Eklund, Jordan Kyrou, and Bowen Byram. It was one of the craziest days (excluding trade deadlines) in recent years in the NHL.

In fact, five first-round picks changed hands yesterday. And if we go back to Sunday, with the Panthers' two trades (Mackie Samoskevich and Brady Tkachuk), three first-round picks changed hands—including one that changed hands twice.

People were saying that market prices were high, and now we're seeing it: first-round picks have been traded like candy over the past few days in the NHL. Even high picks…

Of course, we know the Montreal Canadiens are open to trading their 28th overall pick within the next two days. So they could join the fray, too.

But so far, they haven't made a move.

Kent Hughes has nothing to announce at the moment. He's on the phone evaluating his options, but he's not making a move. One of the players he was targeting, Jordan Kyrou, has since been traded elsewhere—specifically to Washington.

And Habs fans on social media are taking note.

Looking at market prices, it's clear why the GM is being patient. A fourth-round pick (among other things) for Bowen Byram is crazy.

If he were looking to trade, that would be a different story. But why would the Canadiens trade Mike Matheson at this point? It doesn't make sense: the Habs need him.

That said, Kent Hughes (who's been looking for a second-line center for over a year and hasn't been able to make a move) can't afford to let this opportunity pass him by like he did in the summer of 2025.

He'll need to strike a balance between expecting too little and expecting too much, so as not to get taken advantage of.

He's already said he's willing to overpay to bring in the right player for his team. And even though no one in Montreal wants to see him overpay for a player, he has to make a move.

The Canadiens' GM has proven he knows how to negotiate to get what he wants on his terms. But once again, he can't really wait too long and end up empty-handed.


In a nutshell

– Don't miss it.

– Four first-round picks in St. Louis. Things are bound to get interesting.

– Will Jason Robertson leave Dallas?

– Very true.

– His demands are huge.

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