Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes needs to look to AHL Rocket for help – The Hockey Writers – Montreal Canadiens

In the edition of Thursday, October 24, TSN Use of insider informationhost Gino Reda and hockey expert Pierre LeBrun had a chat that should perk up the ears of Montreal Canadiens fans. The segment (starting at the 3:03 mark) revealed that Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes has been making calls to his GM brother brothers around the league. Montreal is not playing well and injuries are piling up. Is a trade imminent? Should something happen? Let’s discuss.

Habs plagued by injuries, reconstruction slows

as a partner The hockey writers Montreal writer Ryan Szporer explained in his article of October 24Montreal is being bitten by injuries in this initial crossing of the 2024-25 campaign. This reflects the club’s relatively bad luck in recent seasons. Cole Caufield He couldn’t finish 2022-23. Kirby Dach barely played in 2023-24. Patrick Laine is a Canadiens player but won’t debut for a couple of months. Carey Price is still getting paid even though he hasn’t stepped on the ice since the end of the 2021-22 season.

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None of this helps with the rebuild of the franchise, a rebuild that has been underway since the ice melted from below after the Cinderella Stanley Cup in 2021. No playoffs since, and mostly bad seasons with whispers of Bright young talent being harnessed and developed has been the norm. Plus, there have been more games like the embarrassing 7-2 loss to the New York Rangers on October 22 than fans would like.

There’s a difference between losing in a competitive spirit and losing in a way (consistently, in fact) that always leaves the door ajar for fans to wonder, “What exactly is the plan?”

General manager Kent Hughes is making calls

With bodies dropping like flies, a 2-4-1 record (last place in the Atlantic Division) and a -10 goal differential (fourth worst in the NHL), Hughes is calling the teams, according to the guru from TSN hockey news, LeBrun. . LeBrun is one of the best and most trusted voices in the business, so we have no problem taking his word for it.

This is a very interesting development for several reasons, which the TSN veterinarian mentions in the segment. For one thing, October trades rarely happen, at least not the big ones that make the headlines. Second, Montreal won’t give up its future potential by trading youth or picks just to win a few more games now. Finally, the cap situation is precarious. According The PuckPedia figuresThe Canadiens are projected to be negative $3.113 million at the end of the season.

When it comes to the bank account, there is no room for maneuver here. The situation is equally complex from a tactical point of view. Hughes would have to find a player on the roster who is a possible scapegoat for some of the club’s recent failings (not scoring enough, not playing defense well, being too expensive, etc.) and point to a player on the roster another team that they’re basically paying. the same amount and will supposedly solve some problems for the Habs.

It is not an impossible task, but a tremendously complex one to attempt in October. Who, one could argue, isn’t carrying his weight these days? Center Alex Newhook has one point and a -7 rating, although he has been good at drawing six penalty minutes (second-best on the team among forwards). Center Christian Dvorak He has one point, he’s -6, but he’s a good blocker with seven. Defenseman David Savard, 33, is -8.

Even assuming they end up being trade bait, who exactly are the Canadiens getting in exchange for players like that? Also, who’s worth roughly $2.9 million (Newhook), $4.45 million (Dvorak, not to mention a modified no-trade clause), or $3.5 million (Savard)? That means a lot of exploration and fiscal gymnastics before November.

Laval rocket to the rescue

It’s times like these when the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate can come in handy. The one in Montreal is just north of the city, across the Prairies River, the Laval rocket.

The AthleticArpon Basu, who covers the Canadiens for that publication, has often touted what Joshua Roy could bring the team. Roy saw action in 23 games last season, scoring four goals and adding five assists with an average ice time of 12:09. Alex Barré-Boulet was in action in the preseason and featured in the first two games before being sent to Laval. If Hughes feels the need to change the defense, 2021 fourth-round draft pick William Trudeau is a blueliner who spent the last two seasons developing with the Rocket.

There are options available for the Habs to change lines and defensive pairings without committing to a trade just yet. The question is: should the Canadiens turn to the Rocket’s roster for a quick fix? The reality is that, as of October 25, Montreal is six points behind the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division. Nobody seriously compares those two clubs as equals, but the point is that there is still time to really find out what the current group has. The Rocket are there for a reason, but it may still be a little early.

The next seven days may reveal what head coach Martin St. Louis must do to get his group back on track. On Saturday they host the St. Louis Blues, who are a decent but not great team. On Sunday they visit the struggling Philadelphia Flyers, who have three points to Montreal’s five. On Tuesday, October 29, they host a hot and cold Seattle Kraken set, and on Halloween night, the surprising Washington Capitals come to town. Are the caps real or not? If the performances against any of those teams or, God forbid, all of them, are as poor as what fans have witnessed recently, then the Canadiens should seriously consider calling up the Rocket.

Even if the playoffs are more of a nice dream than a serious goal in 2024-25, the campaign cannot and should not be derailed as soon as late October or early November. The fans, who support the club through thick and thin, deserve better than knowing before the first snowfall that their team is once again a ship hopelessly lost at sea.