The Montreal Canadiens signed Connor Hughes to a contract for the 2024-25 season.
The Montreal Canadiens signed Connor Hughes to a contract for the 2024-25 season.
The Montreal Canadiens announced on Tuesday that they agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with goaltender Connor Hughes.
The London, Ontario native has been playing professional hockey in Switzerland since 2017-18. He just completed a season with Lausanne HC in the Swiss League, where he had 10-6-1 record, 1.73 goals against average, .940 save percentage and two shutouts in 19 games. In 18 playoff contests, he held 11-6-1 record, 1.91 goals against average, .933 save percentage and two shutouts.
On the Lusanne HC website, Hughes was quoted about signing with the Canadiens.
"The LHC gave me a chance and I am very proud to have been part of this historic season for the club. Everyone welcomed me with open arms, the players, the staff, the fans and that is one of the reasons why I had a great year in Lausanne. To have such an opportunity in the NHL with such a great organization as the Montreal Canadiens is simply a dream for me. I will remember my time here very fondly and wish you all the best for the next season. Thank you Lausanne."
Of note, Lusanne goaltending coach is former Canadien Cristobal Huet.
Lesson Learned
Barring any injuries or further roster changes in the offseason, the 27-year-old is expected to begin the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Laval Rocket.
After trading Casey DeSmith to the Vancouver Canucks, the Montreal Canadiens began the season with the trio of Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault, and Cayden Primeau between the pipes. The situation lasted up until the trade deadline, when Allen was traded to the New Jersey Devils.
The inconvenience of carrying three goalies on the NHL roster trickled down to the AHL, as the Rocket began the season with a goaltending tandem of Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann, that had a combined 20 AHL games under their belt. Their inexperience led to a shaky start that arguably cost the team crucial points in the standings.
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The organization remedied the situation by signing Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout contract in mid-December. Dobes' performance significantly improved when the veteran joined the club.
"At the start of the summer, we didn't know the situation in Montreal. We had three, then four goalies. It was possible that Cayden Primeau or someone else was here," Rocket general manager John Sedgwick said in April during an interview on BPM Sports. "We thought that it was probable that one of our four goalies in Montreal would be here, but it didn't happen."
The addition of Hughes demonstrated the organization wanted to add a seasoned professional right from game 1 of the 2024-25 season. Hughes also provides a call-up option to the Canadiens if there's an injury to Montembeault or Primeau during the year, allowing Dobes to get ample ice time in Laval.
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