The Montreal Canadiens are still fresh off a huge move off the ice, as they recently inked Calder Trophy-winning blueliner Lane Hutson to an eight-year contract extension that comes with an annual average value of $8.85 million. But the Habs appear to be eyeing a couple more extensions, albeit ones that concern front office personnel, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
“One day after completing a major piece of business — extending Lane Hutson for eight years — the Montreal Canadiens are closing in on two more: new contracts for Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton and General Manager Kent Hughes,” reported Friedman.
Gorton was hired by the Canadiens in 2021 after a long stint as the general manager of the New York Rangers. During his time in the Big Apple, the Rangers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times before getting fired by the club in 2021. A year later, Hughes joined Gorton in Montreal.
With Gorton and Hughes running the show in the Montreal front office, the team was able to use a No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on forward Juraj Slafkovsky, whom the Habs have already signed to a contract up to the end of the 2032-33 NHL season. Apart from Slafkovsky and Hutson, the Canadiens landed Ivan Demidov through the draft in 2024.
Montreal also made the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2025, the first time the Canadiens had since 2021, when they made a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final. It's a momentum the storied NHL franchise is hoping it can sustain and improve on, as Montreal's young players continue to add on experience and become better performers on the ice.
Under Hughes, the Canadiens have added notable names to the fold via trades, including Patrik Laine, Noah Dobson, Kirby Dach, Zachary Bolduc, Mike Matheson, and Alex Newhook. Moreover, Hughes has secured additional trade capital through trades as well. In the 2026 NHL Draft, the Canadiens have a second-round pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets and a seventh-rounder from the Carolina Hurricanes.
