Canadiens primed for a swift and painless rebuild under Kent Hughes
With the NHL trade deadline come and gone, teams are either looking to the playoffs or looking to the future. The Montreal Canadiens, who sit at the bottom of the NHL’s standings, fall under the latter.
In his first season as general manager, Kent Hughes now faces the task of retooling the Montreal Canadiens. That retool, however, should be a full rebuild if the Canadiens hope to regain their status as the NHL’s most storied franchise.
Since his hiring, Hughes has traded away Tyler Toffoli, Artturi Lehkonen, Brett Kulak, and Ben Chiarot. In exchange, he acquired a mix of prospects and draft picks that have the Canadiens poised to enter — and then quickly exit — their rebuild.
A year after advancing to the Stanley Cup final, it's odd to see Montreal in this state. Hughes will have all the tools and resources necessary to turn this around fairly quickly, though some big questions remain. Let's dive in.
Who will stay during a rebuild?
Montreal’s top two scorers, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki are both 22-and-under and will factor heavily into long term plans. On the blueline, only Kyle Clague and Alexander Romanov are current NHLers with future value. Ryan Poehling, once viewed as a key component for the Habs has yet to break through at the NHL level, and remains a question mark. He could become a trade chip as Hughes continues the process of putting his stamp on this team.
Like it or not, the veterans surrounding this young core and the next wave of prospects will include David Savard, Josh Anderson, Jeff Petry, Brendan Gallagher, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Jake Evans, who are all signed through 2024-2025.
Those seven players account for $31.3 million in cap space and will provide the veteran insulation for Hughes’ prospects and picks. They all have playoff experience and provide mentorship value. Only Gallagher and Petry will be on the wrong side of 35 when their deals expire.
Next season, watch for Hughes to move both Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron at the trade deadline. The duo are slated to become unrestricted free agents next year and, barring injury, will provide value to contending teams, with the potential haul of picks and prospects for Hughes. If Carey Price returns, or a new option emerges, Jake Allen will be another pending free agent that will have rental value to teams looking at stabilizing their crease.
Who is ready to step in from Montreal’s prospect pool?
The main position of concern, which Montreal will need to address at an upcoming draft, is in net. Carey Price has been Montreal’s goaltender of the past, present, and future, and may continue to be, but Montreal needs an heir to the throne. The Habs have four prospects in the system - Jakub Dobes, Joe Vrbetic, Frederik Dichow, Cayden Primeau - who all have professional size, but none are clear future starters.
An area of prospect depth is Montreal’s blueline. First rounders Kaiden Guhle and newly acquired Justin Barron both appear to be legitimate top four candidates. Both will be NHL ready soon, and they have experience playing together at the World Juniors for Canada. Hughes is also hopeful to sign NCAA star Jordan Harris. Harris, along with Barron, is the most NHL ready of Montreal’s defensive prospects, but could enter free agency this summer if the Habs can’t ink him.
Montreal also has capable but problematic prospect Logan Mailloux. Mailloux brings an off-ice history of sexual misconduct, and the future culture Hughes attempts to build may hinge on how he deals with Mailloux. Mailloux was Marc Bergevin's pick, and with Barron, Guhle, and Harris on board to compliment Clague and Romanov, Mailloux’s history may not be welcomed.
These decisions may involve Vincent Lecavalier who has emerged as a key voice in Hughes’ staff, serving as a special advisor to the hockey operations department.
At the trade deadline, Lecavalier was filled with praise for Justin Barron, who was acquired in exchange for Artturi Lehkonen, and his perceived role with the franchise moving forward.
“A guy like Barron, a tall 20-year-old right-hander, that’s a high demand anywhere in the National Hockey League. To be able to have a guy like him is really good for the future of the Canadiens,” Lecavalier said following the acquisition.
Up front, Montreal’s top talent is already in the NHL, although the quintet of Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Emil Heineman, Jan Mysak and Ty Smilanic all show promise, as does QMJHL scoring leader Joshua Roy. Heineman and Smilanic were in-season acquisitions as trade returns. Montreal could find another dynamic scorer to complement Caufield and Suzuki with their first selection this year, which will almost certainly be a top five pick. Any of Shane Wright, Logan Cooley, or Juraj Slafkovsky could fit that role.
Looking at Hughes’ strategy
Continuing with patience into next season will involve moving Drouin, Jake Allen, and Byron to stockpile more picks and prospects. Hughes will also undoubtedly look for ways to move the contracts of Jeff Petry, and ideally Mike Hoffman, although both will almost certainly involve retaining a portion of their salary.
For any team rebuilding in the salary cap era, the draft remains paramount. Hughes has amassed an impressive lineup of picks, owning two first-round selections in both 2022 and 2023, along with a pair of second round picks and three in the third this year. With that, Montreal will be able to address almost any organizational depth needs they’ve identified.
In only a few short months, Kent Hughes has successfully turned the corner with the Montreal Canadiens positioning the franchise for a future of success. While a rebuild is never fun for fans, the Habs faithful should see the organization’s current position as one of strength with brighter days ahead.
More from Yahoo Sports
