Canadiens have already made Matt Duchene decision, but Kent Hughes may still make move

In 2019, Matt Duchene met with only two teams: the Nashville Predators and the Montreal Canadiens. In the end, he chose Nashville, but could the story be different this time?

On paper, the fit would be perfect. The Habs need a center with the arrival of Ivan Demidov.

With the salary cap rising to $95.5 million and several contracts coming off the books (plus some retained salary ending), Kent Hughes will have the means to spend this summer.

However, there's a small catch.

The Montreal Canadiens and Kent Hughes have reportedly already made their decision about Matt Duchene

According to Renaud Lavoie, Duchene is not a priority for the Habs.

Management is targeting other players first, even though Lavoie personally believes Duchene would be a perfect fit.

Why?

Maybe the Canadiens prefer a younger player or a long-term option.

Even though Duchene is still performing well, he's nearing the end of his career, and the Canadiens may not want to repeat the mistake of 2019, when he used Montreal as leverage to get more money elsewhere.