Very interesting statement from Kent Hughes in Florida and it's promising

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Dan
March 19, 2023 (9:56)

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It's already been over a year since Kent Hughes took over as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

It is safe to say that he has added his touch to the team with the hiring of Martin St-Louis as head coach and he has also completed several transactions that have changed the face of the team.

However, the playoffs are still a long way off in Montreal as the Habs continue their rebuilding phase. But Hughes is not discouraged, and is quite proud of his team and what he sees on the ice this season.

At least that's what he told TVA Sports reporter Renaud Lavoie when he left the NHL general managers' meeting in Florida earlier this week.

"I'm proud of the team, I'm proud of the coaches and the players, they don't give up.

At the beginning of the year, someone asked me what a successful season would be and I said if we see individual development from our players, but also from our team, [it would be a success] and I think we're seeing that.

It's not just the young guys becoming better players, there are veterans that continue to advance their game. And I think our coaches have learned a lot, they're experienced as players, but they're young as coaches, so it's fun to see everybody move forward together."

These are reassuring words from the Habs GM on whom the team's fans rely for the future of the organization. Hughes also commented on the work of his coach in recent months and he was rather complimentary of him.

"He is able to manage individuals as well as the team," he began by analyzing. I said at the outset that it takes a certain emotional intelligence to be a good coach in the National League these days and you see it from Martin and all the assistants.

I talked to Vincent Lecavalier about Martin [before he was hired] and he said, "When you draft a player, you draft him for his potential. If you ask me who has the potential to be one of the best coaches, it's Martin."

A solid acquisition for the organization.

Obviously we can be satisfied in general with the season of the Habs, because at the beginning, the expectations were not very high.

However, it must be mentioned that the numerous injuries during the year have overshadowed the real potential of the team and we will certainly have to wait until next year to have a better evaluation of the organization's progress.

But we must admit that even if some nights we had the impression of seeing last year's Canadiens, we can give a very positive note to Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton for the excellent work they accomplished this season.

To view the complete segment of Renaud Lavoie, click on the link below.