Canadiens 'Contacting Teams', Reveal the Trade They Won’t Make

“I’ve started to make the rounds in terms of contacting teams.” Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and President Jeff Gorton spoke with the media on Monday to talk about their playoff run and what comes next for the team. Noting, “We just gotta get better, period,” Hughes said.

The Canadiens had a good run, but it was clear they weren’t at the same level of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes were better in every area and while the future in Montreal is bright, there are steps that need to be taken and roster upgrades that are required, if, as Gorton said, they want to get to that next level.

When discussing what approach he’s going to take to improving the roster, Hughes offered some insight into what the Canadiens’ approach to the trade market would be entering the offseason. He noted it’s unlikely they would make a trade that gives up key assets for a player that would only be with the team for one year; they are looking for players who can come in and be part of the team medium/long-term.

He hinted that there could be big moves, noting that “at this time last year, I don’t know if we were aware Noah Dobson was available.” That was a big trade the Canadiens made because he called around and checked in with teams. “You read a lot of speculation in social media and otherwise in terms of who may or may not be available.” He said that sometimes a team drives the action in making a player available and sometimes a player wants to make a change. He’ll explore nearly every opportunity that makes the Canadiens better.