Kent Hughes and the CH have just concluded a very interesting agreement, a few hours before the draft

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Jeff Drouin
July 5, 2022 (11:31)

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As the excellent journalist Marc Antoine Godin of The Athletic has just reported, Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens are making an interesting move, just hours before the 2022 draft.

In a clear sign that they are still considerably undecided, CH officials have just announced that they are partnering with "Team 33", in preparation for the draft, but also for the opening day of the free agent market.

"The Habs have reached an agreement with Team 33, a new company offering independent professional scouting and a new way to rank players. Clearly, the CH is looking for a competitive edge wherever they can find it." - Godin

Basically, Godin is effectively explaining that we're talking about a brand new, very forward-thinking company that helps to better evaluate players and rank them, with a point system based on advanced statistics.

Since the arrival of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, they are clear, they want to rely more on this type of statistics and advanced analysis. Here is a very tangible proof, a few hours before the 2022 draft.

"Team 33" is a company led by former NHL assistant general managers (including Mike Santos) and they hire professional scouts.

This will give Hughes, Gorton and the Habs' management an extra tool to make their big decisions in the next few days. (including of course the player they will select first overall)

According to what we found and analyzed as advanced statistics, Cooley and Wright are much better than Slafkovsky. Will this influence the Tricolore's choice? Stay tuned!

For the interesting details: