Hughes and the Canadiens Still Looking to Add a Top-4 Defenseman: The Perfect Target Emerges
The Montreal Canadiens' defense is promising, but it comes with question marks, especially on the right side.
With the possible departure of David Savard at the next trade deadline and Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher, for whom the future is still unclear, the Canadiens are in desperate need of help.
It's no surprise that Kent Hughes still seems to be shopping for a right-handed defenseman for his top 4.
Kent Hughes is active on the trade market to acquire a top 4 right-handed defenseman
According to what Marco D'Amico reports for the RG website, Kent Hughes has indeed not closed the door on adding to his defensive corps.
However, as D'Amico reminds us, it is a complex task, especially during the season. The targeted defenseman should not be too old (like David Savard) and must fit into the rebuilding plan of Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
From David Jiricek to Simon Nemec
In recent days, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded young defenseman David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild. Unsurprisingly, it was mentioned that Kent Hughes had looked into the deal, but seemingly preferred to step aside.
The most recent name linked to the Canadiens is the young Simon Nemec. As we reported recently, many analysts consider Nemec a better "fit" to address the Canadiens' long-term defensive needs.
Recall that Nemec was selected 2nd overall in the 2022 draft, just after his Slovakian compatriot Juraj Slafkovsky.
A reunion could give a second wind to both players, who, let's face it, have struggled quite a bit this season.
More often than not left out of the lineup, Nemec has only played nine games this season with the New Jersey Devils.
He was also sent down to the AHL in early November and has played 11 games there since.
Kent Hughes' summer of 2025 will be worth watching
This is not the first time we've said it, but the summer of 2025 will be very important for the Montreal Canadiens.
They will not only have room on their salary cap, but they will also be able to use it to move to the next stage of their rebuilding process by adding impact players.
Therefore, it will be important to closely monitor the team's off-season, as they will likely look for defensive help if no trade has been made by then.
Kent Hughes may very well make a move at the draft, not for a forward this time, but for a solid top 4 defenseman.
