In the world of hockey, the Montreal Canadiens have not had the start they desired, currently sitting with a less-than-stellar record of 2-4-1. This disappointing beginning has prompted their general manager, Kent Hughes, to take action and explore potential solutions on the trade market.
According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Hughes has been proactive in reaching out to other GMs, but as of now, no trades are on the horizon. “Hughes is at least getting a sense of what’s out there because I think the Canadiens would be open to making a move here that would help sort of shake up the make-up and help this team win some games,” LeBrun shared on Early Trading. “The reality though is there are almost no trades at this time of year – we know that in a cap system.”
LeBrun went on to add, “I don’t think there’s anything imminent for Montreal, but I think it’s noteworthy that the Habs aren’t just sitting there and saying ‘Oh well, we’re off to a slow start, that’s life.’ No, it has fueled Kent Hughes to maybe make more calls than he might have this early in the season. We’ll see where it leads.”
Despite the slow start, Hughes remains cautious in his approach, prioritizing the long-term success of the team. “A couple of things that I’d have to point out. One is that the Habs aren’t going to mortgage the future in any kind of deal – the long term still trumps all. The other thing is that they’re right at the cap, so it’s got to be apple to apple, in terms of a salary coming in, a salary going out, which also adds to the difficulty of making that kind of trade this early in the year.”
The Canadiens have recently faced a string of losses, having earned just one point in their past four games. Despite a tough performance on home ice against teams like Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, things took a turn for the worse in a 7-2 loss to the Rangers. The game saw Montreal concede four goals in the opening period, leading to the replacement of goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens will have a brief break before facing off against the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers in back-to-back games this weekend. Head coach Martin St. Louis expressed his disappointment after the recent loss, emphasizing the importance of regrouping during this downtime. “I’m very disappointed with the result,” St. Louis shared. “I’m probably going to go home, watch the game, and have a plan tomorrow. There’s nothing we can do tonight about tonight. That game is over.”
St. Louis continued, “Now it’s what’s next that’s important to me. It’s the repair. How are we going to repair some of these things, [like] falling asleep on an icing? I’m sure it’ll get addressed. But there are other parts of the game that we have to be better [at]. Some of it is collectively but some of it is individually.”
A glaring issue for the Canadiens has been their defense, with the team allowing an alarming 20 goals against in their past four games. The defensive lineup has notably been on the younger side, with veterans like Mike Matheson and David Savard being the only defensemen above the age of 23 on the roster.
With the Canadiens facing adversity early in the season, all eyes are on Kent Hughes and the front office as they navigate potential trade opportunities to address the team’s struggles and work towards turning their season around.