Gleb Pugachyov: The Canadian has tried to move up in the draft on numerous occasions

Mathis Therrien
Gleb Pugachyov: The Canadian has tried to move up in the draft on numerous occasions
Credit: X

The Montreal Canadiens were very quiet last night, even though the NHL Draft offered an evening full of surprises and trades, such as those involving J.J. Peterka, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Mason McTavish.

For many fans and analysts, the Habs missed the boat and made a mistake by still not making a move, but Kent Hughes reassured everyone by saying he was confident they would complete a major trade.

In short, the Habs' only move last night was a trade to move up two spots in the draft in order to select Russian winger Gleb Pugachyov.

After long speculation that the Habs wouldn't have a first-round pick and would trade their 28th overall pick in a major deal, well, in the end, the Habs traded it away in a minor deal to select their scouts' top prospect.

In fact, Pugachyov was a unanimous favorite within the Canadiens organization; everyone liked him and felt he would be a great addition to the club's prospect pool.

In fact, the Habs liked Pugachyov so much that they tried repeatedly to move up in the draft to select him.

That's what Kent Hughes stated at the beginning of the press conference, explaining that since they weren't going to trade their first-round pick—which had lost value with all the recent top-10 trades—the Habs wanted Pugachyov.

We can therefore infer that Hughes called several teams in an effort to move up in the draft to ensure he could secure the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Russian winger.

Hughes undoubtedly tried his luck with various teams, ultimately striking a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights, who had just acquired the 26th overall pick in the trade sending Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers.

In short, the Canadiens wanted Pugachyov, and they gave themselves the best possible chance to draft him by moving up for a second consecutive year to select a Russian forward—just as they had done last year in the second round with Alexander Zharovsky.

The Habs now have their Russian Tom Wilson, who will clearly help bolster the team in a few years.


In a Nutshell

– Always interesting to see.

– Stay tuned for updates on the Capitals.

– This is frankly ridiculous.

– That's for sure.

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