Injuries: “Kent Hughes will have to find in-house reinforcements”

At the moment, the Canadiens are seriously ravaged by injuries. The club will be without the long-term services of Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine and Kaiden Guhle, four of the club's regulars.

These are losses that are beginning to mount… and to be felt.

So, inevitably, the idea of Kent Hughes looking outside the club for reinforcements got people talking. After all, the Alexandre Carrier effect was felt last year… and just this morning, Renaud Lavoie hinted that the Habs might be closing in on a deal.

But Darren Dreger had the opposite to say tonight. During the Insider Trading segment, the TSN tipster said that if Kent Hughes wants to find reinforcements right now, he'll have to do it internally.

Because right now, nobody wants to sell… and the prices are way too high.

All this means that to weather the storm, the Habs may have to find options in Laval. We've already seen Jared Davidson and Joshua Roy brought in as reinforcements, and we have to assume that they really are the best options available right now.

That said, we know that things can change quickly in the NHL. Last year, for example, it was only a few days before the holidays that the Predators decided to trade Alexandre Carrier… and it's possible that within a month, teams will decide to sell.

And even if it's a winger who becomes available, Kent Hughes will be in the mix, says Dreger. The club would like to get a center, obviously… but it's mainly looking for a forward.

So, we'll see what the Habs can come up with, but it's bound to be hard to find a partner for a deal right now.

Yes, depth will be really, really tested.

Overtime

– A reassuring performance for Juraj Slafkovský last night. [TSN 690]

– Matthew Knies on the sidelines. [Maple Leafs]

– News from the MLB.