The Canadiens’ Injuries Aren’t an Excuse to Get Reckless

Kent Hughes often shows up to his press conferences wearing a quarter-zip. He projects confidence, calmness, and a firm belief in his plan. He rarely seems rattled or concerned, often preaching patience in the rebuild rather than rushing to patch holes in the roster. He moves in silence, striking when an opportunity presents itself, but is quick to back down when the cons outweigh the pros.

He finds himself in that position now. The Canadiens are slumping, having lost four straight games, compounded by the long-term injuries to Kadien Guhle, Alex Newhook, and Kirby Dach. In a season with notably higher expectations and following a promising start, the spotlight has returned to Hughes — and not in the way he would have hoped.

Will he make a move to mitigate the injuries, or will he wait? Will he waver from his usually methodical, patient trade-strategy approach, or will he stick to his core values?

Nobody knows the answer except Hughes. But if one had to guess, it’s far likelier the latter: Hughes will hold firm and continue to wait for an opportunity that is the “right fit,” as the front office would categorize it.

It’s not recent injuries that have pushed the Canadiens into trade talks, they’ve been rumoured to be exploring them for the past year or so. The search for an elusive second-line centre or top-six forward is never easy, and with injuries mounting, finding that player at a reasonable cost has become even harder. If anything, Hughes’ job has grown more difficult, with other teams seeing him coming from a mile away, aware of his need for offensive reinforcement.

Now is not the time for Hughes to make a panic move and overpay for a player who would likely be a stopgap. While this season holds promise, it’s important to remember that the rebuild is far from complete, and the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup window isn’t open yet. If it were, perhaps the conversation would be different, a panic move to preserve a season might make sense. But in the grand scheme of this rebuild, Hughes has little choice but to ride it out.

Frankly, the Canadiens don’t have the assets to make a major trade. Guhle, Dach, and Newhook are among the few NHL-caliber trade chips Hughes might consider, and obviously the top guys are untouchable. With depth so thin, a player like Oliver Kapanen is effectively off the table as well.

On the prospect side, David Reinbacher may be the most likely trade chip, though his value is at an all-time low following yet another injury. Montreal would be unwise to deal him at this point. Put bluntly, Hughes has little to work with outside of draft picks, and a panic trade simply isn’t an option.

Despite the likelihood that the trade market won’t solve much, adding a bottom-six forward who can outproduce Joe Veleno and Joshua Roy should be both realistic and necessary. The Canadiens were reportedly in on David Kampf before he signed with Vancouver, and it’s safe to assume Hughes will continue to scour the free-agent pool, waivers, and the trade market for players in that mold.

While it’s unfortunate that this team has to weather this tough stretch, it’s crucial not to lose sight of the organization’s long-term objective: keeping the Stanley Cup window open for as long as possible. Sacrificing key pieces of the future to fix short-term problems isn’t the smartest play, and the cool, calm, and collected Hughes understands that better than anyone.