Canadiens deal would cap off already successful 2024 offseason – The Hockey Writers –

When Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes selected Ivan Demidov, his work this offseason for 2024 was all but done. Technically, he didn’t have to do anything more to wrap up what had become an instantly successful summer, officially just a week into the (moderate) season. And yet, Hughes was far from done.

Yes, there was the matter of re-signing restricted free agents defensemen Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron , but when it came to Hughes’ actual offseason priorities, drafting a forward with the fifth overall pick was expected to have a much bigger long-term impact on the organization (and one for the better, assuming Hughes did it right).

Hughes rocks

It’s safe to say that Hughes hit the nail on the head by selecting a player that he and the organization, by all accounts, loved from afar, a player who, more importantly, has the potential to be a superstar. Of course, there are a few caveats. For starters, Demidov may not turn out to be one. That’s always a possibility, and it’s important not to count your chickens before they’re hatched.

Still, Demidov was almost unanimously viewed as the second-best available talent, with perhaps even more offensive potential than No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. So Hughes getting his apparent guy without having to trade to move up, while trading to secure his guy would have been seen as a success in and of itself, is as good as it gets.

You could (well) argue that Hughes shouldn’t get the credit because it was just a fluke that Demidov fell into his lap. Fine. That doesn’t change the undeniable fact that the vast majority of Canadiens fans were extremely happy with the pick. They can 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 say for sure how much legal social engineering (if any) the Canadiens did to secure him. So it’s safe to assume Hughes did. But judging by how he’s continued to plug holes in the roster with young talent since bursting onto the scene in early 2022, it’s safe to say he’s adept at his role. Hughes just did it again, securing a top-six forward that was arguably the biggest hole the Habs have had to address (before they can truly compete).

Hughes takes over Laine

Of course, as mentioned earlier, Demidov is no guarantee that he will be the answer. However, just to be on the safe side, Hughes went out and acquired Patrik Laine, at rock-bottom prices, no less. With the team still technically rebuilding, Hughes didn’t even have to sign anyone of note in free agency. So acquiring such a significant talent in Laine via trade was far from necessary. If Hughes follows the Sam Pollock school of deceiving opponents, this move would simply be the equivalent of extra points. Able to play Demidov’s listed position on the right wing, Laine is more or less a replacement for the next few seasons (before his contract expires and he becomes an unrestricted free agent). The Canadiens, who simply traded away Jordan Harris, a defenseman with limited roster prospects, to acquire Laine (and a second-round pick), presented them with a classic low-risk, high-reward scenario that has virtually no risk. So forget about luck. All of this is a testament to how good Hughes is and was.

There’s no denying that trading Laine created a roster-space bottleneck, which ideally would have been for Christian Dvorak to be traded as well. In fact, that’s probably the only remaining offseason priority Hughes hasn’t addressed yet, trading a redundant forward. His five projected unrestricted free agents up front are all expendable to varying degrees. With the highest salary cap hit of any of them, and his production declining as a Canadien, Dvorak is a prime candidate to be moved, even if for pennies (like Laine, only in the opposite direction). The acquisition of Laine ironically made things worse.

Related: Canadiens Have No Choice But To Move Dvorak After Laine Trade

However, it must be admitted that Hughes has absolutely no need to move anyone at this point, literally or figuratively speaking. Logistically, with Rafael Harvey-Pinard out with an injury, the Canadiens could move any forward with the most logical claim to a roster spot. Keeping Dvorak simply complicates matters, as Kirby Dach has usurped his No. 2 center position on the team, and Alex Newhook has emerged as a more capable attacking option at center rather than wing. Nick Suzuki is obviously the team’s best pivot, while Jake Evans, another pending unrestricted free agent, has proven to be a capable fourth-line center for a fraction of Dvorak’s $4.45 million cap hit ($1.7 million).

Hughes names Dvorak perfectly

Joshua Roy also emerged last season as a winger who began to realize his potential as a top-six option. However, if Dvorak were to line up at center as expected, Newhook would be expected to play on Dach’s wing (across from Laine), forcing Roy down the lineup, putting the rookie in a less-than-ideal position to produce. Thus, Dvorak became obsolete.

It shouldn’t have escaped anyone’s notice that Hughes didn’t trade goalie Casey DeSmith until the night before training camp began last year. So, even with the calendar turning to September and the end of the offseason fast approaching, Hughes still has time to make another move. But at this point, given everything he’s accomplished, it’s more a matter of if than when. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll still have a few incredible months of managerial work.

Hughes doesn’t have to be perfect. But he’s proven he’s fully capable of rebuilding this team…or at least putting it in a great position to compete in a relatively short period of time. So while no one should be immune to criticism, and no one should blindly accept every move the Canadiens GM makes, he’s at least earned the benefit of the doubt. Ultimately, he clearly knows what he’s doing. That was clear early in the offseason. It’s clearer now. He could be done this summer, but in the big picture, after 2.5 years, he’s just getting started.