Last weekend saw the Montreal Canadiens celebrate captain Nick Suzuki’s wedding, and plenty of players and one executive stayed in town to attend the Osheaga festival. The yearly event, set for August 1st to 3rd at Parc Jean Drapeau, featured a diverse lineup of big names, including The Killers, The Chainsmokers, Cage The Elephant, Olivia Rodrigo, and many more.
On Friday night, Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes was spotted enjoying The Killers’ show, a much-deserved break for the man at the helm who doesn’t seem to be taking much downtime this Summer, or ever really. Now that Jayden Struble has signed his contract, every player he had to sign for the upcoming season has put pen to paper. Of course, Lane Hutson is eligible to sign a contract extension, but there’s nothing to suggest there’s been any progress on that front yet.
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On Saturday, Suzuki and Patrik Laine were spotted at Parc Jean Drapeau, taking in the shows amongst other fans. The captain will be hoping to improve on his career year when the puck drops on the new season. He recorded 89 points in 82 games this past year and was the main reason why the Canadiens took a huge step forward and were able to qualify for the playoffs.
As for Laine, he’ll be playing the last year of his four-year deal and hoping to impress the Habs’ brass or other GMs around the league in case the Canadiens do not extend a contract offer to him. If Montreal improves on last season’s performance and his once again in the running for a playoff spot, it would be surprising to see them trade Laine at the deadline, even if he is on an expiring deal.
Hughes has shown in the past that he can manage assets very well. Still, he also demonstrated lately that he’s not afraid of letting players walk away for nothing if he feels keeping them until the end of their contract is more beneficial. This offseason, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Michael Pezzetta all left as UFAs.
There should be plenty of Canadiens players for the weekend of August 15 and 16, when Bailey Zimmerman, Sheryl Crow, Shaboozey, and Jelly Roll will light up the stage amongst many others.
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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