With the trade deadline fast approaching, Kent Hughes spoke about the Montreal Canadiens' approach on the Basu and Godin Notebook. Find out what he had to say...
In Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes’ interview on the Basu and Godin Notebook, he also discussed his approach to the trade deadline, summing it up with the word prudent. It’s not the fact that he’d need to get some money out to get some cash in that worries the man in charge; he’s confident that if there were a deal to be made, he’d find a way to make it work. What’s more worrying is what you need to give up to get what you need.
Hughes acknowledged that once the team feels ready to contend with the Colorado Avalanches of the world, that’s when they’ll be willing to trade in the future for the present. Still, from the way he was speaking, they are not there yet, even though they are eager to do a lot if it’s for a hockey trade and for a player that’s going to grow with the organization.
He added that when you bring in someone who’s in their mid to late 30s, you’re not looking at a player who’s going to grow with the team, but rather at a player who’s going to be regressing because of age. That’s interesting, and it means that even though the Canadiens might have shown interest in someone like, say, Nazem Kadri, as has been reported by many outlets, they’re unlikely to be willing to give up too much to land the Calgary Flames' 35-year-old forward, who still has three more years left on his contract.
Hearing Hughes talk about trading the future for the present was also interesting in light of the recent goaltending decision. Many believed the wrong move was sending Jacob Fowler back down to the Laval Rocket, since he was outperforming the other goalies, but clearly, the Canadiens do not want to rush him. They don’t feel like they are ready to contend with the Avalanches of the world yet, so they can afford to let the youngster develop properly in the AHL by seeing plenty of action.
Their approach with Fowler resembles the one he admitted to taking with Reinbacher, saying they have the luxury of waiting for him to be “overripe” before bringing him up. Earlier in the rebuild, the GM confessed they tended to throw players into the deep end, but at this stage, when they are starting to look for results rather than just development, they can’t afford as many mistakes, so they're adopting a more prudent approach.
Of course, there’s no proof that keeping Fowler up would have hurt his development; he might have been just fine, but there is no rush. The Canadiens don’t feel like they have arrived at their window of opportunity yet, so why take the risk? Samuel Montembeault’s contract has another year left for a reason: the Habs wanted to take their time with Fowler. They are using a prudent approach, just like they will at the trade deadline.
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