Kent Hughes has been very active this season so far. he pulled off the most significant trade when he managed to pry defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, surprised everyone when he acquired Zach Bolduc, and made some depth signings. However, he still didn’t manage to address another area of need for the Montreal Canadiens, the elusive second-line center.
The free agency market was thin, but when Jonathan Toews signed with the Winnipeg Jets, Matt Duchene re-signed with the Dallas Stars, and Mikael Granlund joined the Anaheim Ducks, it got even thinner. As Jeff Gorton said in his media availability before the draft, when something’s going on in the league and someone becomes available, the Canadiens know about it and assess the suitability of the player for their team, and that’s probably exactly what they did with Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Canadiens Could Send A 19-Year-Old To The AHL
The New CBA Could Allow A Canadiens Player To Reach A Big Milestone
New Canadiens Forward Is Sneaky Good Addition
On Friday, his agent, Shumi Babaev, revealed that he had spoken with the Canadiens since the pivot would have liked to play in Montreal with former teammate Ivan Demidov in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Even though he would have wanted to join the Habs, Babaev was told there just wasn’t room for him with the Tricolore.
While the Russian pivot is said to be highly motivated for his NHL comeback, he hasn’t played in the best league in the world since the 2023-24 season, when he put up 24 points in 63 games split between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. The player was plagued by personal issues and spent some time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program.
He then signed a new contract with the Canes, but ultimately, the agreement was terminated, and he signed a four-year deal with SKA in the KHL, but both parties agreed to terminate the contract at the end of the first season. There were no details released as to the reason for the termination, but it's likely the Canadiens conducted due diligence by leveraging Nick Bobrov’s contacts in Russia. The Habs had a good channel of communication with SKA, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they reached out to get some inside information.
While Kuznetsov could have been a good fit with Demidov, there is no doubt a reason why the Canadiens decided to tell his agent that there just wasn’t room for him, even though the Tricolore is lacking depth at center right now.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Kirby Dach will get yet another kick at the second line can. The Canadiens are probably hoping that youngsters Owen Beck and Oliver Kapanen will come to camp all guns blazing and light a fire under the 24-year-old who will be playing the last year of his contract.
