Kent Hughes would (really) like to complete a trade

The Canadiens' front office therefore has several scenarios on the table and is constantly evaluating which of these scenarios would make the Habs a better team. Kent and Jeff debate this extensively, and it's a safe bet that several scouts and hockey executives within the organization are also involved in these discussions.

It's also reasonable to assume that many of these discussions ultimately lead to phone calls—but also to rejections from other NHL teams.

Are they debating Kirill Marchenko? Mark Scheifele? Nikita Kucherov? Dylan Larkin? Given that they do this on a daily basis, I think just about every player has been the subject of some discussion.

Unfortunately, Kent Hughes' success rate has been very low this summer: only Chris Kreider has joined the team… and we're still wondering what kind of impact he'll have at age 35.

Kent Hughes admitted last night that there are things he would have liked to accomplish but didn't. You can tell: he really would have liked—and still would like—to be able to complete a trade to (most likely) strengthen his top six.

Was he talking about Matthew Knies? Dylan Larkin? Kirill Marchenko?

Again, we'll never know.

Still, knowing that Kent Hughes will be discussing potential trades with Jeff Gorton today, then tomorrow… then Sunday, Monday… then Tuesday…

That's enough to give us hope. Hughes and Gorton haven't finished their work yet, and by casting enough lines, they'll eventually land a big fish.

As someone once said—I can't quite remember who—you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Overtime

– Kent Hughes pointed out that it takes a little luck to win the Stanley Cup.

– He made a point of noting that the fact the team's best players left money on the table will “make his job easier” in the coming years.

– He mentioned that Florian Xhekaj and David Reinbacher had a good camp, but he also made a point of highlighting the play of Adam Engstrom and Owen Beck since the start of camp. He admitted that, yes, he'll eventually be forced to make certain decisions with the present in mind—not the long term. That said, while noting that there will be call-ups during the season, Kent Hughes also left the door open for the release of Florian Xhekaj… and that of Jacob Fowler. We'll see.