The Montreal Canadiens are gearing up to make trades this summer, and now they have added motivation. General manager Kent Hughes is set on defying NHL betting odds to contend for the playoffs next season, planning to be aggressive in acquiring key players to bolster the team.
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic delved into the Canadiens’ upcoming roster moves ahead of the NHL Draft. With the No. 5 and No. 26 picks in the draft, the Canadiens hold a valuable asset they can use in potential trades, targeting players such as Carolina Hurricanes winger Martin Necas.
The main issue currently is that, following the signing of free-agent goaltender Connor Hughes, the Canadiens have already committed to 41 contracts for next season. This leaves them with room to add just nine more moving forward.
Kent Hughes in-the-moment draft day decision
Regarding the fifth pick, the decision to move it will depend on the selections made at Picks 2, 3, and 4 before them. This suggests that a decision will likely be made in the moment during the draft in Vegas on June 28.
“I suspect it’s more an in-the-moment (decision) this year,” the Montreal GM said. “Because I think the draft is less predictable. Whereas I think last year we got a lot of inquiries (ahead of time) at No. 5 because everybody kind of felt they knew what the first four picks were going to be — maybe not the order but who the first four were going to be was assumed. I don’t think that’s the case this year.”
While Hughes didn’t explicitly state it, a plausible scenario for Montreal to consider trading down is if there’s a surge of forwards selected before their pick, considering their strong defensive depth.
“If we can get a player, if we can trade up in the draft, we have to look at any way that we can improve this team,” Hughes told LeBrun. “We won’t be limited to something that has to make us better next season. But if it does, call that icing on the cake.”
The Canadiens are likely to trade their fifth pick only if multiple forwards are taken before their turn. This reaffirms their intent to select a forward at the beginning of the 2024 draft.
Kent Hughes will be eyeing prospects like Cayden Lindstrom or Ivan Demidov at their pick. While Tij Iginla has received less attention recently, he remains a notable prospect to watch.
However, as things currently stand, Hughes hinted that it’s more probable they retain the pick and draft at No. 5.
Canadiens current roster situation
Since taking the helm of the Montreal Canadiens, the Kent Hughes-Jeff Gorton duo has consistently maintained a buffer in their contract management. Rather than starting seasons with 49 or 50 contracts, they opt for greater roster flexibility, beginning with only 45 or 46 contracts in total.
The Canadiens have six restricted free agents (RFAs) to qualify before the June 30th deadline, including Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron, Jesse Ylönen, Lias Andersson, Filip Cederqvist, and Mattias Norlinder, who are all up for new deals this summer.
With an abundance of players already signed for next season and a strong prospect pool, the Montreal Canadiens could leverage this depth to assemble a package for acquiring top-quality talent.
The Canadiens have recently been linked to Martin Necas, a player who would likely require a substantial package to acquire from the Hurricanes.
Rival teams may also show interest in veterans like Joel Armia, David Savard, and Christian Dvorak from the Montreal Canadiens. Of these, Armia and Savard hold the most value, with Savard drawing significant interest during the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
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