Anthony Mantha in New Jersey: What’s next for Kent Hughes?

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Anthony Mantha in New Jersey: What’s next for Kent Hughes?
Credit: YouTube

The Canadiens haven't improved their roster for the upcoming season.

Yes, they've acquired some players from the minors… but the same issues keep coming up when it comes to the Habs, who have lost the services of Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno.

The second-line center position, a top-6 winger, a right-handed defenseman, or a physical player: we're talking about several needs that haven't been met. And the more time passes, the harder it will be to address them, since there will be fewer options on the market.

Of course, everyone knows Kent Hughes is on the phone. There's no doubt at all about his desire to try to make the team better for next season.

That said, we do doubt his willingness to trade the assets needed to achieve those goals.

There's one name that's been making the rounds in the past: Zach Whitecloud. The Flames defenseman, who might be on the move because Calgary is heading for a crash, has had his name circulating for several weeks now.

And according to what David Pagnotta said on the Hello Hockey podcast, there are still teams interested.

I'm not at all surprised to hear this. After all, Whitecloud is an excellent right-handed defenseman (and a physical one, too) and would fit into what many teams are trying to build.

It makes sense.

The Canadiens could be among the teams that would benefit from acquiring him. After all, as my colleague Marc-Olivier Cook has already pointed out, he could play alongside Lane Hutson.

But more importantly, he has two years and $2.75 million left on his contract.

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The more time passes, the clearer it becomes that Kent Hughes is absolutely determined to get everything right when it comes to his long-term salary cap management.

Is that a good thing? Yes, of course. It's better to have regrets you can fix than ones that hurt the payroll in the long run, you know.

But one might think that's why Anthony Mantha isn't in town.

At some point, the Canadiens' GM will have to trade assets to acquire players who fit into his plan both on the ice and in terms of the payroll. He can't just wait for a player to sign the perfect contract in terms of payroll and for the young players coming up.

I don't know if Whitecloud fits into that plan. But on paper, he has what it takes to catch Kent Hughes's eye—and Hughes needs to improve his team to some extent this summer.

The GM is clearly looking for the perfect player in every respect. If the Habs end up winning the Cup, his patience will be praised… but if not? He'll be criticized for missing his window of opportunity.


Quick Notes

– Note this.

– Michel Lacroix can feel (more than ever) the passion of the CH fans. [98.5 FM]

– I don't see it happening.

– Interesting.

– His name keeps popping up in rumors.

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