Kent Hughes could try to sign Dubois or Tkachuk to an intriguing contract this summer

PUBLICATION

Jeff Drouin
March 28, 2022 (7:53 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Canadiens' new staff will be living their first summer at the helm of the team. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will have their work cut out for them as they try to improve their team and make it competitive as quickly as possible.

And one of the fastest ways to bring in reinforcements is of course the uncompensated free agent market. This year, several big names will be available, starting with Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kristopher Letang, who many field hockey fans in Quebec would love to see come to Montreal.

But if Kent Hughes couldn't convince a top free agent to sign with his team, would he be tempted to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Marc Bergevin, by making a hostile offer?

As reported by Raphael Simard of Danslescoulisses.com, TSN 690 Montreal radio host Matthew Ross raised this possibility by mentioning the names of Matthew Tkachuk and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Both forwards will become restricted free agents at the end of the season.

Tkachuk is having the season of his career so far with 82 points, including 32 goals in 65 games, while Dubois is also on his way to his best season. The Quebecer has 50 points in 66 games with the Winnipeg Jets.

However, as we know, hostile offers are not common in the NHL and generally, these offers are, for the most part, matched by the teams involved, with the exception of the case of Jesperi Kotkaniemi last summer.

Also, Tkachuk and Dubois are likely to be quite expensive on the market and in any case, both forwards are not eligible for a hostile offer after their arbitration request.

We remember that in the summer of 2019, Marc Bergevin had tabled a hostile offer for Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, a five-year offer for $42.27 million per year, with a bonus of $21.7 million in the first year. But Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell had matched the offer less than a week later.

While there have been rumors about Pierre-Luc Dubois with the Habs in the past, it would be very surprising if Kent Hughes used this route to try and improve his team.