Here are the files still on Kent Hughes’s desk

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Here are the files still on Kent Hughes’s desk
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

It's now July 6. The NHL offseason has been underway for a few weeks.

We all agree that there are still some active issues (hostile bids, free agents, and the trade market), but we also agree that things have quieted down.

Teams can still make roster moves, but it's not as straightforward.

That made me want to revisit an article I wrote a month ago to see, in practice, just how much the Canadiens still had to do this summer.

The article in question? “The 12 Tasks of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton for the Offseason.”

Right off the bat, it's clear that several items on the list haven't been completed. Or at least, if they have been, nothing has been publicly announced by a source or by the club.

For example?

Marco Marciano (interim goaltending coach) and Martin St-Louis, who will soon begin the final year of his contract, do not (as far as we know) have new contracts in hand.

Samuel Montembeault hasn't been traded. Is the plan, after all, to keep him?

Lane Hutson doesn't have a new linemate, and the defense remains intact. The top-6 offense (a winger and a center to play with Ivan Demidov) hasn't undergone any changes so far. No depth players have been added.

The restricted free agents haven't signed contracts.

What has been done? Brendan Gallagher is gone, Ivan Demidov has signed a contract extension (as has Jakub Dobes), the Rocket has new players, and the draft is behind us.

But let's just say that Kent Hughes' to-do list is still long. And we also have to add the matter of finding a successor for Pascal Vincent, who left the organization in recent weeks.

Can we also add the Michael Hage situation to that list? No one has ruled out the possibility of him signing with the Habs this summer, even though the most likely scenario is that he'll return to Michigan.

Will the Habs be aggressive if they can't find reinforcements for the top six?

In short, Kent Hughes still has his work cut out for him. After all, he must know he can't really go into next season with the same lineup.

Not if he truly wants to give himself a chance to win the Stanley Cup.


In a nutshell

– Ouch.

– Really?

– Stuart Skinner: not enough potential to stay in Pittsburgh.

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