Once Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes drafted Ivan Demidov, his work this 2024 offseason was pretty much complete. He technically didn’t need to do anything else to cap off what had instantly become a successful summer, officially just a week into the (temperate) season. And, yet, Hughes far from stopped there.
True, there was the matter of re-signing restricted-free-agent defensemen Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron. However, in terms of Hughes’ actual offseason priorities, drafting a forward with his fifth-overall selection was going to end up having much more of a long-term impact on the organization (and one for the better assuming Hughes did it right).
Hughes Nails It
It’s safe to say Hughes nailed it, drafting a player he and the organization by all accounts hearted from afar, a player, who, more to the point, projects as a superstar talent. Now, there are obviously a few caveats. For starters, Demidov may very well not pan out as such. That’s always a possibility and it’s important not to count one’s chickens before they hatch.
Even so, Demidov was almost unanimously seen as the second-best talent available, perhaps with even more of an offensive ceiling than No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. So, Hughes getting his apparent guy, without having to trade to move up, when trading to move up to secure his guy would have been seen as a success in its own right, is as good as it gets.
There’s a (great) case to be made Hughes shouldn’t get credit, as to have Demidov fall into his lap was just flukey. Fine. That doesn’t take away from the undeniable fact the vast majority of Canadiens fans were extremely satisfied with the selection. They may very well in turn point to the old adage that you have to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky.
Was Hughes lucky to get Demidov? It’s hard to know for sure how much legit behind-the-scenes social engineering (if any) conducted by the Canadiens helped secure him. So, it’s fair to assume Hughes was. However, judging by how he’s continued to plug holes in the lineup with young talent since arriving on the scene in early 2022, it’s fair to say he’s adept in his role. Hughes just did it again, securing a top-six forward, which was arguably the biggest hole the Habs faced having to fill (before they can realistically compete).
Hughes Acquires Laine
Granted, as alluded to earlier, Demidov is not exactly guaranteed to be the answer. However, as if for good measure, Hughes then went out and acquired Patrik Laine, for bottom dollar no less. Now, with the team still technically rebuilding, Hughes didn’t have to so much as sign anyone of note via free agency. So, acquiring as significant a talent at Laine via trade was far from a necessity itself. If Hughes is attending Sam Pollock’s school of fleecing the opposition, this move would simply be the equivalent of extra credit. Capable of playing Demidov’s listed position at right wing, Laine is in some ways a fill-in over the next few seasons (before his contract expires and he becomes an unrestricted free agent). The Canadiens giving up simply Jordan Harris, a defenseman with limited prospects of moving up the lineup, to get Laine (and a second-round pick), has presented them with a classic low-risk, high-reward scenario that has virtually zero downside. So, forget luck. It all speaks to just how good Hughes is and has been.
There’s little denying that the Laine trade has resulted in a log jam in terms of roster space, that would ideally see Christian Dvorak get traded as well. In fact, that’s arguably the one remaining offseason priority Hughes hasn’t addressed yet, to trade an excess forward. His five projected pending unrestricted free agents up front are each expendable to varying degrees. Owning the highest cap hit of the bunch, with his production having waned as a Canadien, Dvorak is the best candidate to be moved, even if for pennies on the dollar (a la Laine, just in the opposite direction). Laine’s acquisition has ironically exacerbated matters.
Related: Canadiens Face No Other Option but to Move Dvorak After Laine Trade
However, admittedly, Hughes doesn’t absolutely need to move anyone at this point, speaking both literally and figuratively. Logistically, with the Rafael Harvey-Pinard injury, the Canadiens can carry all the forwards with the most logical claims on roster spots. Keeping Dvorak simply complicates matters with Kirby Dach having usurped him as the team’s No. 2 centre and Alex Newhook having emerged as a more offensively capable option down the middle himself, instead of at wing. Nick Suzuki is obviously the team’s top pivot, while Jake Evans, another pending unrestricted free agent, has proven himself as a capable fourth-line centre at a fraction of Dvorak’s $4.45 million cap hit ($1.7 million).
Hughes Ideally Trades Dvorak
Joshua Roy also emerged last season as a winger who began to realize his top-six potential. However, were Dvorak to line up at centre as expected, Newhook would be projected to play on Dach’s wing (opposite Laine) instead, thereby forcing Roy down the lineup, putting the rookie in a less-than-ideal position to produce. So, Dvorak has been rendered obsolete.
It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that Hughes only traded excess goalie Casey DeSmith the night before training camp started last year. So, even with the calendar having flipped to September and the end of the offseason rapidly approaching, Hughes still has time to make another move. However, at this point, based on all he’s accomplished, it’s more a matter of “if” than “when.” Even if he doesn’t, he’ll have put together an incredible few months of managerial work.
Hughes doesn’t need to be perfect. However, he’s proven himself perfectly capable of rebuilding this team… or at least putting the team in great position to compete in relative short order. So, while no one should be immune to criticism and no one should accept every move a Canadiens GM makes with blind faith, he’s at least earned the benefit of any doubt. In the end, he clearly knows what he’s doing. That was clear at the start of the offseason. It’s clearer now. He may very well be done this summer, but, bigger picture, 2.5 years in, he’s just getting started.
