Kent Hughes’ plan for the summer is pretty straightforward.
The Habs GM is going to try to improve his team.
To that end, there’s a lot of talk about getting a player who can play in the top-6. A guy who can help the team right away and who can surround Ivan Demidov properly on the second unit to allow him to progress at his own pace.
But that doesn’t mean that Hughes is going to give away bad contracts or empty his bank of prospects or picks to do something huge.
We know the CH GM… and we know he’s got a plan.
That’s why, in the eyes of José Théodore, we shouldn’t necessarily expect a “coup de théâtre” this summer in Montreal.
The former CH goaltender talked about it on 98.5 FM: he doesn’t see Hughes getting his hands on a top player in the next few weeks.
It hasn’t been the Habs’ style over the past couple of years, since Kent Hughes has been here, to go after veterans who make a lot of money. – José Théodore
We know that Kent Hughes can be aggressive.
We’ve seen him make big trades in the past and he’s not afraid to move.
That said, that’s why I’m expecting some changes in town over the next few months. But, at the same time, it’s hard to wonder how much there will be because even if Hughes wants to improve his club, there will be other teams wanting to do the same.
And if there starts to be a bidding war here and there for the good players available… maybe that can put a spanner in the works for Kent Hughes.
All in all, the Canadiens’ summer will be interesting to follow, because we don’t really know what’s going to happen.
Will the CH draft with picks #16 and #17? Will Kent Hughes find the second center he wants? Will the CH GM sacrifice one of his prospects in a trade to get a quality player?
Answers to these questions in the coming weeks…
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