While he wasn’t told the team was shopping him, nor that they had anything pending with a team that could see him moved to another club, Josh Anderson is being told everything that’s going on when it comes to his future with the Montreal Canadiens. GM Kent Hughes has offered to keep Anderson up to speed and not lie when it comes to trade talk and there has been some said the Habs forward.
As per Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Hughes spoke about the rumors surrounding his team, particularly when it comes to Anderson. Teams have been calling and he knows the rumors are out there. As such, Hughes wanted Anderson to know that if he had any questions, the winger could come to chat with him at any time. That has happened and while Anderson would like to stay, he knows there’s a chance he could be dealt.
Anderson spoke with the media a bit about what was said. He was asked directly if he was given any assurances that he wouldn’t be moved. Anderson responded, “Uhh, no, not really.”
That said, Anderson was appreciative that his GM would be so honest and upfront about what was going on regarding his future. He explained:
“To be honest with you, I thought it was really cool that he brought me in and had an honest conversation. I haven’t really had that from a GM. He pretty much just said, I know your name’s floating around out there and I just wanted to let you know where we stand and what could happen and what can’t happen. I told him my honest opinion, that I love this city. But again, it’s a business, this organization, this game, and anything can happen. It was cool to get that feedback though.”
Anderson understands that the moment he got into negotiating his exit from Columbus, he was going to be on the receiving end of business decisions for the rest of his career. He gets that. He explained, “I feel like ever since everything wasn’t going well in Columbus, my name’s been popping up, and that was the start of it..” He said that as long as he’s playing on a team that isn’t set to make the playoffs, his name could pop up again. ” of how quickly things can change when your team’s kind of out of the playoffs and you don’t know where your team stands, “…things can always happen,” he said.
Anderson doesn’t believe the Canadiens are actively looking to trade him. At the same time, he knows he could be on the move if Hughes is presented with the right offer.
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