“There’s a good chance the CH will come back with the same lineup—fingers crossed.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
“There’s a good chance the CH will come back with the same lineup—fingers crossed.”
Credit: YouTube

We were expecting a big move from Kent Hughes this summer.

We expected the Canadiens' GM to make a major trade, as he has done every summer since taking the helm with the Montreal Canadiens.

That hasn't happened yet. And at this point, we have to wonder if it will happen at all.

Of course, there's still plenty of time left before the end of the summer, and the season doesn't start tomorrow either. But… July 1 has come and gone, and teams are starting to take shape for the upcoming season.

Players available on the trade market aren't exactly a dime a dozen, especially since the free-agent market is particularly thin right now… and David Ettedgui hits the nail on the head when he says this:

​At the end of the day, the options are running thin. Chances are good he'll come back with the same lineup and just cross his fingers. – David Ettedgui

Ettedgui notes that the Habs have to keep their fingers crossed, hoping that David Reinbacher, Oliver Kapanen, Zachary Bolduc, and Florian Xhekaj can become key players in Montreal starting on Day 1 of the upcoming season.

And at this point, that might actually be the only solution…

Kent Hughes offered Ivan Demidov a new contract, but he hasn't necessarily improved his team since the start of the summer.

And the fact that he hasn't managed to add one or two players to his roster is causing a stir… because all (or almost all) of the Eastern Conference teams have been able to make a big move in the last few days.

Meanwhile, it's radio silence in Montreal…

Management has a plan in mind, and that's fine too. But they can't just sit back and watch the action unfold while crossing their fingers, hoping their roster can be as dominant as it was last season without adding anything to the group.

Especially given that Kent Hughes has said repeatedly that he really wants to improve his team…


In a nutshell

– To be continued.

– Okay.

– What a great run for Canada.

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