In recent days, Subban's name has been linked to the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs and even the Boston Bruins. While many have also speculated that Subban would return to Montreal, it appears, according to what Jeremy Filosa reports, that Kent Hughes never contacted the former CH.
This is a bit surprising when you consider that Kent Hughes has publicly announced that he is looking for depth on defense, especially on the right. The veteran definitely doesn't seem to be in the plans and direction of the club's new administration.
At this point, there aren't many right-handed defensemen left on the free-agent market, with Ryan Murray recently agreeing to a deal with the Edmonton Oilers. Aside from Subban, Hughes could also fall back on Anton Stralman, Kris Russell, Keith Yandle, Calvin de Haan, Chase Priskie or Nathan Beaulieu.
Hughes could also wait until the start of the season to take advantage of a great advantage that will be given to him. He will have priority in waivers until at least November 1st, given that the CH finished last last last season. This is a significant advantage when you consider the following points:
1 - The CH has a good success rate with waivers picks in recent years. Just think of Paul Byron (Marc Bergevin) and Rem Pitlick (Jeff Gorton) who have pleasantly surprised the club's fans.
2 - With the salary cap making things difficult for many teams, it wouldn't be surprising to see some intriguing names placed in the lineup during training camp and the first month of operations. Kent Hughes will be able to fill out his roster for free, courtesy of the NHL, which has not increased its cap.
POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 3 | 698 ANSWERS Kent Hughes and the Canadiens have made their choice in the P.K. Subban file Would you like to see P.K. Subban get a professional tryout with the CH? | ||
Yes | 388 | 55.6 % |
No | 310 | 44.4 % |
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