Hughes has made two almost free acquisitions, and it could be a big deal for the Canadiens

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Jeff Drouin
September 22, 2022 (9:25)

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Since his arrival as general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes has made several transactions and we can say that slowly but surely, he is building a team in his image.

Even if some of his transactions were completed in order to get prospects for established players, there were others that were a bit surprising.

I'm talking about the acquisitions of Evgeny Dadonov and Sean Monahan. These two acquisitions took the Canadiens fans by surprise and many people wondered why they went after these two players who were no longer in the plans of their respective teams.

Two acquisitions that were almost free, but that could bring in a lot of money.

Acquired from the Golden Knights in return for Shea Weber's contract, Dadonov still had a respectable season last year in the Vice City and as for Monahan, he has been bothered by all sorts of injuries in the last few years, plus he is recovering from hip surgery.

But what could be interesting for Kent Hughes is that Monahan and Dadonov will both be free agents next summer and if both forwards are able to contribute to the Habs' success, they could be of interest to some teams when the trade deadline comes, and thus, they could bring back some interesting returns (young players and/or prospects).

Since most experts expect the Habs to miss the playoffs this season, it is very likely that Kent Hughes will be a seller at the deadline and if he is able to get something interesting for Dadonov and Monahan, we can say that he has once again done a great job in rebuilding his team.

Because in the end, the arrival of Dadonov and Monahan will have cost the Habs almost nothing, even if it will have freed up the payroll of Shea Weber's hefty contract.

Another option that is plausible and that would make this acquisition a great move: what if Sean Monahan becomes the star player he was before his numerous injuries slowed him down?

We're talking about a player who is only 27 years old, has 82 points and 34 goals in 2019, and could become a great center again. Let's especially remember that the CH RECEIVED a first round pick, to acquire him. This could become a real steal.

To be continued, but these are two interesting additions!

Credit: Habsolumentfan.com