Kent Hughes: a huge contrast with Marc Bergevin
By taking the time to analyze Kent Hughes' first press conference, it is clear that his approach is, and will be, very different from that of Marc Bergevin over the past nine years.
As Marc-Antoine Godin of The Athletic has well explained in his most recent text, one of the major differences between these two men of hockey is the precision of Hughes' medium- and long-term plan.
The latter seems to want to give a clear guideline to his plan, saying he wants to try to build a team capable of winning for several years, thanks to an offensive and fast style of play, which will promote the speed of execution in possession of the puck.
This already differentiates him a lot from Bergevin, who was rather the type to develop the team by addressing its weaknesses, year after year, in order to keep a respectable level. Hughes, on the other hand, wants to build a winning team, which will rely on precise foundations.
Moreover, Marc Bergevin and the former management were of the type to work separately, each according to their strengths. Hughes and Gorton, on the other hand, want to set up an organization where all departments will work together, helping each other according to their own knowledge.
To do this, the two partners want to promote the use of advanced statistics to support the assessment of players and not to make them the central element of the recruitment department, as some teams made the mistake.
Finally, Hughes, like Bergevin, advocated character and leadership. However, this leadership should not just be a matter for players like Shea Weber and Carey Price, but rather a common point for all members of the organization, who will need to have some level of initiative to allow everyone to move forward.
In short, it is a breath of fresh air that blows over the Montreal Canadiens with this new direction and we are eager to see what aspect Hughes and Gorton will tackle first to build such an organizational chart.
