CH: Here are the first images of the deal that fell through at the deadline

Mathis Therrien
CH: Here are the first images of the deal that fell through at the deadline
Credit: Capture d'écran Reddit

We all remember the infamous 2026 trade deadline, when the Montreal Canadiens didn't make a single trade and thus failed to strengthen their roster ahead of the playoffs.

This disappointed many fans, and rightly so, especially considering that the Habs had explained they had come very close to a major trade that ultimately fell through.

Kent Hughes obviously seemed very frustrated during his post-trade deadline press conference.

We later learned that the trade had fallen through due to a lack of time.

Countless rumors naturally exploded from all directions regarding the identity of the mystery player the Habs had come close to acquiring, with the name that came up most often being that of Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies.

We'll never know 100% who that player was, but we can continue to speculate wildly—especially with the recent footage released by Crave in Season 3 of the series “The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens.”

In fact, the footage shows the final moments before 3 p.m.—the fateful deadline for trades—as Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton make various calls and go through a whole range of emotions.

Here are the clips.

 

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These are, of course, incredible exclusive clips released by the Montreal Canadiens in this third episode of Season 3.

We can see the trade deadline clock counting down to just one minute and a few seconds remaining, while Kent Hughes is on the phone discussing two first-round picks—the 2026 pick and another top-20 protected pick.

It's clear, then, that this was indeed a major trade, given that two first-round picks were involved.

We then see Jeff Gorton on the phone as well, apparently learning that the trade was submitted too late to the NHL and that the clock had therefore run out.

The livid expressions on Gorton's and, especially, Kent Hughes's faces speak volumes about the two men's disappointment.

Of course, we can still speculate that this was a trade to acquire Matthew Knies, but there's no official confirmation of that, and no names are revealed in the video.

I invite you to watch the full episode right now.


In a Nutshell

– He's on fire.

– Stay tuned.

– Wow.

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