While attending the general managers meeting in Florida, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes gave several interviews, including one with Frank Seravalli from Daily Faceoff. The former player's agent covered various topics in a chat lasting over half an hour. Still, the most interesting part was how he worked with the executive vice president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton.
The GM explained that they are similar and different simultaneously, meaning they can balance each other. Hughes describes himself as wanting to “get things done” yesterday, whereas Gorton is more prone to sit back and reflect. Early in their working relationship in Montreal, Gorton told Hughes he couldn’t collect all the acorns in one day and had to relax. That conversation earned the GM the nickname of “squirrel.”
Regarding Juraj Slafkovsky’s progression, Hughes explained that some players feel pressure when signing a big contract. He gave an example from his past life as an agent where former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron had signed a big contract during which he was injured a lot, and at the end of it, he told him he’d like a three-year deal worth five million per. Hughes told his player he was underselling himself, but he replied:
Mikko Koivu makes five per season, which is a good comparable, and I won’t have to worry about being criticized for my contract.- Patrice Bergeron to his agent Kent Hughes
Hughes had no idea that his client had been feeling that pressure since there hadn’t been many comments about his contract, yet the future hall of famer was.
Getting back to Slafkovsky, he explained that the young Slovak might have been coming in thinking in terms of production rather than what he needed to improve to be more effective. Essentially, Hughes hinted at what he said on BPM Sports earlier this week: You can’t approach a player and tell him, “Hey, we got you just to hit people.” That’s not the case but telling him the Habs didn’t draft him to be Jack Hughes is a better way to relay the message. Slafkovsky's got an imposing frame and he plays his best hockey when he uses it.
He also spoke about his coach, Martin St-Louis, calling him “incredibly analytical” and saying they hired him because he had a great hockey mind and could solve a hockey puzzle. Given how the Canadiens have played this season and how the bench boss managed to come up with four balanced lines, it’s hard to disagree. Listening to him talk about his coach, I see that he clearly loves that the pilot is a teacher. He loves to teach, and Hughes believes NHLers still have things to learn.
Looking at the progress made by Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, it’s easy to understand his point. Even with veterans like Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson, St-Louis changed their roles and taught them how to play more efficiently. In a recent press conference, the coach said he loves giving “roles” to his players, and he has certainly done that with Gallagher and Anderson.
Hughes explains that the team's next focus is asset management, ensuring a good return from the players traded away and using the cap efficiently. From an asset acquisition phase, the Canadiens are now more in a roster building phase, evaluating what’s needed and what’s missing and targeting the right pieces. He acknowledges they have a decision to make on the blueline, striking a balance between the future and the present. Adding to the top six is also an objective, but he repeated you need to be mindful of how many young players you introduce to the roster, which is probably why he gave Jake Evans a new deal.
The team hopes Ivan Demidov can hit the ground running like Lane Hutson has this season, but they don’t know that he will. After all, he'll have to get used to a new culture and to the North American game, the rookie blueliner didn't have to deal with that.. Hughes once more said he’s willing to go on the free agency market, but only if they can make an intelligent deal. Don’t expect Montreal to hand out contracts that will become dead weight while the Canadiens are in their competitive window, as that would hurt the team.
Whenever I listen to an interview with Kent Hughes, I have to admit I am fascinated. The man is a born communicator and makes his points so clearly, it's a pleasure to listen to. He's a breath of fresh air compared to the previous GM.
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