Canadiens GM To Be Active Again at the NHL Draft

The Montreal Canadiens were a team that many had their eyes on during the NHL Trade Deadline back on March 7th. The expectations were that they could be selling pieces off like Jake Evans, David Savard, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak. 

However, with the Canadiens playing themselves into a playoff position, GM Kent Hughes’ strategy was to stand pat and not make any moves. Knowing how valuable they would be during a push to the postseason, he didn’t even trade his pending UFAs.

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The Canadiens caught the attention of many when they removed Jake Evans from the trade board and signed him to a new four-year extension. The asking price for Evans was a second-round pick, but Evans took a discount to stay with Montreal. He understands his role with the team and felt staying with Montreal was the best option for him, even though he could have gotten more on the open market. 

Other Deals Did Not Emerge For Montreal Canadiens To Make 

Once the extension for Evans was done, the Canadiens shifted focus to conversations about their other players. Those deals were not there. According to Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, who was on TSN Radio in Montreal, he explained offers didn’t come flooding in.

“I don’t think so. Didn’t seem like the offers that were coming in and trickling in for (David) Savard and (Joel) Armia were obviously substantial, or else they would have done it. I don’t think (Christian) Dvorak generated much interest at all. The Canadiens could have retained one more guy from a salary perspective. But again, what’s the incentive? They waited it out in terms of selling off guys. They waited out as either pay us the premium or we’re going to keep these guys going because we want to play meaningful hockey down the stretch.”

The Canadiens set out to play meaningful hockey this season, something they emphasized this past offseason. While executive vice president Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes never declared making the playoffs a necessity, they remained committed to their long-term plan. True to their word, the team is competing in important games this spring.

Whether the Canadiens ultimately secure a playoff spot or not, this strategy is not a bad one.

Canadiens To Make Moves In The Summer, Center is the Target

Kent Hughes has always been a general manager who gets things done in the offseason or at the draft. Expectations are that he will cook again this summer to get the Canadiens ready for their next step. 

Pagnotta added:

“Kent Hughes will continue to look and build off of some of the discussions he had leading up to Friday’s deadline and carry that back into the summer and around the draft. I fully expect the Habs to do some more type of deals around draft time in LA, not like last year, because last year (Patrik) Laine was much later on in the summer. But the previous two drafts, they got (Alex) Newhook. They got (Kirby) Dach, I would be 0% surprised if they try to pull off something again, maybe a little bit bigger, a little more impactful around draft time and in LA in June.”

So, what is the end goal for the Canadiens in the summer? The feeling is that the Montreal Canadiens will look for a center, seeing as Kirby Dach can’t stay healthy.

Why a Center for the Canadiens?

According to Marco D’Amico of RG Media, since Dach was a solid gamble that didn’t pay off, center ice will be addressed.

“I’d be shocked if the Canadiens didn’t trade for an age-appropriate center this summer, especially with a young phenom like Ivan Demidov landing in Montreal next season. From what I’m hearing, the Canadiens feel like that’s the missing piece to get them to the playoffs. Much easier to acquire a top-6 center with term in the offseason than in February or March, especially when you’re mostly offering futures.”

The next question is who they go after. The team tried for Dylan Cozens, but nothing was really close before Cozens got traded to Ottawa. But that is the type of player they will try to get. 

Now that the Montreal Canadiens’ young core has tasted meaningful hockey, the next step is to compete for a playoff spot, if not to make the playoffs. 

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Canucks, Devils