Habs' Trade Plans Might Have Changed as Winning Streak Cancels Potential Deal
Last night, the Montreal Canadiens secured a 4-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres, marking their fourth consecutive win. They are getting even closer to a playoff spot, which is making things really complicated for Kent Hughes.
Hughes, who was clearly on track to position himself as a "seller," now has to reconsider everything.
Given how the team is currently playing, it would obviously be very difficult for him to justify a fire sale to his players before Friday.
No More Reason for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens to Trade Anyone
If names like Jake Evans and Joel Armia were frequently mentioned in trade discussions, last night's game (and the two points earned) may have seriously derailed many of those trade talks for Kent Hughes.
That's the word going around since the end of last night's game.
It will be really interesting to watch, but as journalist Guillaume Lefrançois highlights in the article above from La Presse, a strong message is being sent to shut down all discussions involving the sale of certain current Canadiens players.
This doesn't necessarily mean that Kent Hughes will be a "buyer" either, but if he has the opportunity to add reinforcements that can help the team immediately as well as in the medium/long term, I'm convinced he will take the chance.
As of today, the Canadiens are three points behind the Detroit Red Wings for a playoff spot.
They also need to surpass the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators, which seems achievable.
It's shaping up to be an exciting trade deadline!
As Nick Suzuki mentioned yesterday, the captain dropped a major hint, stating that Hughes hasn't made his plans clear to the team ahead of the deadline:
