Kent Hughes has done it; he has signed everyone he needed to sign this Summer when he inked Jayden Struble to a one-way two-year deal with a $1.4125 AAV and avoided an arbitration hearing in the process.

The Montreal Canadiens and Jayden Struble were scheduled to have an arbitration hearing on August 3, but it won’t be needed in the end. As expected, the pact won’t pay the 23-year-old much more than fellow blueliner Arber Xhekaj. The gritty defenseman had also signed a two-year deal coming off his ELC, but it had a $1.3 million AAV. Considering that it was signed a year ago, in a flat cap era, Struble essentially got the same deal, but with the cap raise and passage of time factored in.

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As things stand, Struble and Xhekaj will once again be vying for the 6th defenseman spot this upcoming season, unless, of course, David Reinbacher causes a big surprise and shows he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL out of camp.

Logan Mailloux also could have been a contender for a spot in the lineup, but Hughes decided to send him to the St. Louis Blues for some help up front in Zachary Bolduc, which helped alleviate the logjam on the defense corps a bit.

Struble had his best moments last season playing on the left side of a pairing completed by Lane Hutson, but the duo was mainly the result of injuries on the blueline, and if everyone stays healthy, he should not be asked to play that part again.

At this stage, it’s impossible to say how long Struble will be part of the plan in Montreal, much like Xhekaj, he has yet to establish a regular spot in the lineup. Last Summer, Hughes signed two similar contracts: Xhekaj’s and Justin Barron's. Those short deals with reasonable AAV make it very easy to trade assets, and if Reinbacher is ready to take a step up, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Hughes move another young defenseman.

While David Savard retired, the hole he left in the lineup was swiftly filled by Noah Dobson’s arrival, and while it makes sense to keep a seventh defenseman in the team’s entourage, keeping two would be a bit much, especially with Adam Engstrom performing very well with the Laval Rocket.

Whatever happens moving forward, though, Hughes has once again had a great offseason, signing everyone he needed to sign (although an extension for Hutson would have been ideal, but it wasn’t a necessity since his contract is still good for another year) and acquiring some much-needed reinforcements on the trade market. The Summer isn’t over yet, but for now at least, the Canadiens are one of the most improved teams in the league.

Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

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