The Canadian is in a poor position to make a hostile bid

Yesterday, the Canadiens made a move to draft Gelb Pugachyov. They chose to move up two spots (from 28 to 26) to ensure they'd get their man for sure.

At this stage of the rebuild, I like to see that. After all, the Canadiens don't need to draft too often since they already have quite a few prospects on the roster.

They need to prioritize quality at the top of the draft.

To do so, the Canadiens traded their 2027 third-round pick to the Golden Knights. That's the price they had to pay to improve their position in the first round.

And one of the consequences of this is that Kent Hughes has put himself in a difficult position to make a hostile offer in 2026.

Since a team must have its own picks from the following year (2027 for a hostile bid this summer, in other words) to proceed, losing a third-round pick next year has an impact.

Previously, Kent Hughes could make any hostile offer he wanted. But that's no longer the case, since for many offer amounts, the compensation includes retaining the team's third-round pick.

• Offers the Habs can make: less than $1,575,970; between $2,387,833 and $4,775,666; more than $11,939,166
• Offers the Habs cannot make: between $1,575,970 and $2,387,832; between $4,775,667 and $11,939,166

What this tells me is that the Canadiens never really intended to submit an offer in that range. Otherwise, the Canadiens' GM would have acted differently.

He wouldn't have voluntarily closed a door if he wanted to use it.

Note, however, that if it's for Jason Robertson, the door is still open. He won't sign for a bargain… but I don't think he'd sign with Montreal anyway.

That settles the matter.

Extension

I didn't expect to see the Habs go down the hostile-bid route (even though they could), but it's worth noting that the Canadiens' GM confirmed those plans last night.

It's clearly through a trade that the Habs want to (try to) improve. #NoSurprise