Habs GM Kent Hughes on the verge of announcing a big splash during the upcoming draft with all the ammunition he has

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Elias Edmonson
March 13, 2024 (9:08 PM)

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Since his arrival at the helm of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes has shown that he is good at negotiating trades.
Since that famous January 18, 2022, there have been few he hasn't won.

The first major trade he made, because I don't think his first real one involving Andrew Hammond and Brandon Baddock is a big one, set the tone for his governance. He acquired, by sending Tyler Toffoli to Calgary, his first first-round pick.

In 28 transactions so far, no less than 5 first-round picks have been acquired by Hughes. This is not to mention the many other picks that have allowed the new team management to replenish its prospect pool.

And it's not over yet!

While he has already drafted a lot with the picks acquired by trade, Kent Hughes still has plenty of options ahead of the next drafts. For the next two seasons, the club's management will have no less than 24 picks (12 per draft) in their hands.

As the league imposes a limited number of contracts (50), it would be surprising if all these picks are used to select players. The duo of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will therefore have all the tools at their disposal to add players to their lineup on the trade market. It will be interesting to see, after Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, who will be the next lucky one.

While many think that this player will be Trevor Zegras, another out-of-left-field trade should not be overlooked. Knowing that few personnel moves from the duo have been leaked since they took office, we should once again expect to be surprised.

For sure, he will have the ammunition to do so, if he wishes to make a splash at the draft in June. He could move up with picks or acquire players like Kaapo Kakko, Trevor Zegras, Peyton Krebs, etc.

Via HF