Summer 2025: Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton’s next projects

So that means (unless Kent Hughes gets the rights to an RFA soon) that everyone will have a valid contract when the players report to camp.

It remains to be seen how much money Struble will earn. But it won’t be a huge amount, of course.

2. We still don’t know who the club’s second center will be, and we don’t know for sure whether Zachary Bolduc will be able to play on the second line as early as October. Is the Habs top-6 better than it was in the playoffs?

We know that Jordan Kyrou is still on the Canadiens’ shopping list. Will it happen? Will it be another?

3. Our colleague Maxime Truman said it recently: the Habs haven’t done enough to bulk up (in the short term) in recent weeks. It’s an aspect that doesn’t get talked about enough… even though we saw, in the playoffs, what the Canadiens lacked.

It was glaringly obvious.

Yes, some good guys came to town and some big prospects were signed. But the Habs are still young and inexperienced. Not everything can be fixed in one summer, I know, but it’s still on HuGo’s to-do list.

Remember, a good club always has depth.

4. I’m not of the school that you absolutely have to trade Mike Matheson(quite the contrary), but Kent Hughes has to look to see if there are teams that want the club’s current players.

Trading Patrik Laine, for example, would give the Canadiens more leeway. But can and/or will the GM do that?

5. Speaking of giving the Canadiens a boost: will Carey Price’s contract be traded? We know he won’t mind if it helps the team.

We’re keeping an eye on the San Jose Sharks, who have plenty of salary cap space. But until the $5.5 million bonus is paid (in September), I don’t see a deal becoming official.

6. When will Lane Hutson get a contract?

For the past week or so, he’s been eligible for a long-term contract extension, but there’s been radio silence on the matter. It’s no surprise to me… and I think management is on the case.

extension

Here’s a mission for Geoff Molson, at last.

Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, unless I hear otherwise, are still on their first contracts with the Canadiens. We can assume that both men have signed five-year contracts in 2021 and 2022, respectively. When can we expect a contract extension?