Could Arthur Kaliyev Be Another Kent Hughes Project?

The Los Angeles Kings' 33rd overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft Arthur Kaliyev has told the team he has no intention of signing another contract with them as reported by  Austin Stanovich. Could the Montreal Canadiens be a suitable trade partner for the L.A. outfit?

Could Kaliyev Be of Interest for the Canadiens?

Kent Hughes is known for liking to pick up young players in who have failed to live up to the expectations of their drafting team, he's done it with Kirby Dach and the Chicago Blackhawks and Alex Newhook and the Colorado Avalanche. So far, it's been a very positive experience with Dach and the jury is still out on Newhook. 

With those two players, Cole Caufield, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jayden Struble, Hughes is collecting 2019 Draft products faster than Marc Begevin collected Pitlicks. Would it make sense for the Canadiens to give Kaliyev a try?

Well, his numbers so far with the Kings are not all that bad, certainly not worse than those Newhook had when Hughes acquired him for a couple of draft picks. The Kings winger's best season came in 2022-2023 when he put up 28 points in 56 games. Meanwhile, Newhook's best year before coming over to Montreal was 33 points in 71 games. From a mathematical standpoint at least, it could make sense. 

It's also worth mentioning that Kaliyev had quite to offensive awakening in his last two seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League. He finished his sophomore year with 102 points in 67 games and his final one with 98 points in 57 games. There is a scorer hidden in there even though he has been dormant on the West Coast. At the World Junior U20 Championship in 2019 and 2020, the winger put up a total of 14 points while his USA teammate Cole Caufield only had seven. 

It's not secret, Hughes would have liked to improve his top-six this offseason, but he has been unable to do so. Drafting the likes of Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage sure makes the future look bright, but in the now, it has no impact. The Canadiens have been linked to Trevor Zegras, Martin Necas and Rutger McGroarty but nothing has happened in any of those cases. 

As things stand, Kaliyev is not a top-six player, but what would a fresh start and a new development team achieve? No one can say for definite right now...

What Would it Cost?

While the Kings still hold the rights to Kaliyev having made a qualifying offer to him, it's hard to imagine how he could decide to stay and sign in the end. Furthermore, Los Angeles hasn't got that much space under the cap, which makes it tough to trade him for a NHL ready player.

In other words, it would make sense to trade him for draft picks or prospects. As of now, the Canadiens have got 12 picks in the 2025 Draft. Two first round, two second round and three in the third round. 

If none of those please Kings' general manager Rob Blake, Montreal has got plenty of prospects and players still on their entry-level contract which means they would be cost controlled acquisitions. However, Los Angeles has only got six picks in the 2025 Draft and could use some more. 

Then there would still be the small matter of signing him, but that barely took any time to do with Newhook last season. Considering the two players' situations are not unlike one another, it's conceivable Kalyiev would be amenable to sign to similar terms. Of course, it would include the short time nature of the deal, which would give the Canadiens a chance to assess what they've got in their hands.

If he paraphed a three-year deal, Kaliyev would be looking for a new contract right when those of Gallagher and Anderson's get off the book, creating $12 million in cap space in the process. I'm getting ahead of myself though... 

Back on topic now, I believe it's worth considering this option for Hughes, especially if the Kings are willing to only get draft picks in return. After all, there is such a thing as too many draft picks for Montreal, the rules only allow a team to sign so many players.