Canadiens: Friedman Reveals How Far Hughes Was Willing To Go
The Montreal Canadiens didn't land Kirill Marchenko, but it wasn't for lack of trying. In the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman explained just how far Kent Hughes was willing to go.
There’s no denying the blockbuster that rocked the NHL on the eve of the season start has impacted both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Columbus Blue Jackets. On Tuesday, Kirill Marchenko seemed to be everywhere against the Montreal Canadiens, and he got an assist. On Thursday night, in his first game as a Blue Jacket, Matthew Knies scored two goals, added an assist, and was named the first star of the game.
Unsurprisingly, the blockbuster was discussed at length on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast by Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas. The NHL insider confirmed that Habs GM Kent Hughes tried everything to land Marchenko:
I tried to figure out what Montreal did at the end; I heard that Montreal was trying to be really creative. I think they were trying to involve other teams. I’m not 100% sure whether they were trying to get other teams to get one of these extra Columbus guys, or whether they were trying to take a player from another team and put them in Columbus. Because I just always heard that Columbus wasn’t crazy about what Montreal offered. There were some good players in there, some futures; Columbus didn’t really want futures, and they just never had anything close to Knies. Like, I heard there was another player they were trying to get to Columbus from another team. I thought I knew who that guy was, but the other team has denied it, so I’m still working, Kyle, on who that guy was or who the guys were.
At this stage, this shouldn’t surprise anyone. Hughes said he was very active this summer but didn't manage to close the deal on his main target. Of course, the Canadiens’ GM didn’t confirm who his target was, but with multiple reports identifying Marchenko as the target, it makes sense.
As we mentioned in the hours following the trade, Hughes didn’t come away with the big prize despite trying; Friedman confirmed it came down to the Jackets not wanting what they had to offer. What’s new, however, is that they tried hard to involve other teams to get the Jackets what they wanted, even if it wasn’t from the Habs themselves, but it didn’t work. Still, the insider also confirms that Montreal was one of the most active teams this summer:
Montreal, no question, had been the most serious pursuer all summer. From the moment that Marchenko was potentially available. He’d let the Blue Jackets know he wasn’t going to re-sign there. They were the team that chased the hardest. And word behind the scenes was that he was more than happy to go there. I think that’s one of the most interesting storylines about this whole thing, Kyle: is that word early in July was that he was willing to go to Montreal, but he wasn’t so crazy about Toronto. Somewhere over the summer, that changed.
That might be a consolation for Habs fans; it's further proof, after Noah Dobson and Chris Kreider, that players want to come to Montreal now. If Marchenko had been free to choose his destination, the Canadiens would likely have been his choice. However, the Blue Jackets were in the driver’s seat, and they handled a difficult situation very well.
Hughes’s back to the drawing board if he wants an impact player, but that may have to wait until the offseason; who knows. With the salary cap rising, though, if a star player becomes an unrestricted free agent, it wouldn’t be a shock if they chose Montreal as a landing spot. The Canadiens have the money, the cap space, and a coach the players love. Until then, the players must do their part: keep winning, because at the end of the day, that’s what will make players chasing a Stanley Cup choose this team. Jason Robertson from the Dallas Stars will be a UFA this summer, and the summer after that, it will be Connor McDavid. The Edmonton Oilers have allowed 13 goals through two games; their goaltending still isn’t sorted out, and neither is their defense. Whether they want it or not, they are slowly but surely pushing McDavid toward the exit.
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