How much longer can Kent Hughes wait?

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
How much longer can Kent Hughes wait?
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

How patient are Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton?

The more time passes, the more important I think it is to ask this question in relation to the Canadiens' long-term plan to win the Stanley Cup.

And when I say “win the Cup,” I mean turning the Habs into a powerhouse. After all, that's the front office's goal: to eventually win the Stanley Cup.

I say this because the club continues to take a long-term approach. It keeps making decisions that won't negatively impact its chances of winning down the road.

In fact, we have to wonder if the club's front office has adjusted its plan following the 2026 playoffs, which went better than expected. No one expected them to make it to the Final Four…

In reality, the Canadiens missed several opportunities to improve the team (the summer of 2025, the 2026 trade deadline, and the start of the 2026 offseason) when they were in a position to make moves in recent years.

We can obviously assume this is because the prices to pay were too high. But they always will be…

It's understandable that the Canadiens aren't in as much of a hurry as some teams that are willing to pay top dollar, despite everything, to acquire impact players.

But just how unhurried are they? How much longer can Kent Hughes wait?

It feels like the Canadiens would have liked to have Michael Hage on the roster for the 2026–2027 season. How much pressure did they put on the young player to get him to sign his entry-level contract?

We know the club would love to have Kirill Marchenko. How eager are they to let the situation play out naturally so they can pounce when the Blue Jackets are in a bit more of a bind?

If the Habs have decided that the team's original timeline (the one set before the 2026 playoffs) shouldn't be altered too much, the GM won't overpay or put too much pressure on the situation.

And in that case, the same team as in 2025–2026 (minus Brendan Gallagher and Joe Veleno) will return. Even if many fans won't be happy to see that.

Unless, of course, the Habs have more than one trick up their sleeve and decide to capitalize on the emergence of the club's young players to go all out right now.

That's possible… but it will depend on whether Kent Hughes feels the need to rush things or not. That's what it comes down to right now. And the GM is one of the only ones who has the answers to the questions everyone is asking.


In a nutshell

– Read this.

– Note.

– Will Adam Fantilli break the bank?

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!