Trade completed between the Canadiens and Oilers at the recent deadline: a superb steal by Kent Hughes

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Julien Trekker
February 26, 2023 (11:12)

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In sports, there is a saying that the best trades are the ones you don't make. That can be true on occasion, but there is another famous quote that says, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

And let's say that one applies a lot in the world of sports, especially to general managers.

These days, NHL general managers are working hard to improve their teams for the playoffs or to prepare for next season.

This will be the case for Kent Hughes, for whom it will be a second trade deadline, and if last year he was one of the most active general managers at the deadline, it should not be the case this season.

However, as reported Vincent Fournier, of LetsGoHabs.com, in sports, there is a saying that the best trades are the ones you don't make. That can be true at times, but there is another famous quote that says "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

And let's just say that this one applies a lot in the world of sports, especially to general managers.

These days, NHL GMs are working hard to improve their teams for the playoffs or to prepare for the next season.

This will be the case for Kent Hughes, who will be experiencing his second trade deadline, and if last year he was one of the most active GMs at the deadline, it shouldn't be the case this season.

However, as reported, one of the transactions he completed last year could turn out to be a real steal.

On March 21, 2022, Hughes sent defenseman Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for another defenseman, William Lagesson, a seventh-round pick in 2024, and a second-round pick in 2022.

While Lagesson only passed through Montreal, it's a whole other story with the second-round pick obtained from the Oilers, as the Canadiens used it to select young American defenseman Lane Hutson.

Yes, Lane Hutson!

The same Hutson who has been making a lot of noise in recent weeks with his superb performances in American colleges.

Despite his small size, he collected 38 points in 30 games with Boston University, two points more than a certain Cole Caufield in his first college season.

Hutson even has better statistics than some NHL star defensemen at the same age, such as Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, and Cale Makar! We're not talking about small fries here.

Okay, I'm not saying that the Canadiens' second-round pick in the last draft will automatically become an NHL superstar, but it must be admitted that Hutson is certainly one of the Canadiens' top prospects.

And even if he becomes a top-4 defenseman in the NHL, we can say that it was a real steal by Kent Hughes, who only had to give Kulak to the Oilers.

But to eventually draw this happy conclusion for Canadiens fans, we will have to wait a few more seasons.

Still, it's nothing against Brett Kulak, but it's incredible to realize that Kent Hughes transformed Kulak into Lane Hutson. What a great move!

Let's hope Hughes can repeat this feat in the next few days.