When Geoff Molson decided it was time for the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] to make some significant changes and fired Marc Bergevin, Habs fans were anxious to see who would take over and how they would handle the rebuild. When Kent Hughes was introduced as the new GM, some worried that he didn’t have the experience necessary to handle Sainte-Flanelle’s rebuild since he had never been an executive in the NHL. He did have plenty of other experience however, having been a player's agent for years and having been on the opposite side of the battle line, and while some wondered if his old opponents would have some resentment from past negotiations, it soon became apparent that Hughes hadn’t made any enemy in his former life as a player’s agent. Canadiens Important Defender Facing Big Year [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-important-defender-facing-big-year] Canadiens: Laine’s Big Summer And Golf Tournament [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-laine-s-big-summer-and-golf-tournament] Former Canadiens Honoured With A Statue [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/former-canadiens-honoured-with-a-statue] He hit the ground running, trading away the likes of Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames] and Arturri Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche] and replacing coach Dominique Ducharme with unproven (at least behind the bench) Martin St-Louis. In his first offseason at the helm, Hughes heard the Flames were looking to unload Sean Monahan’s contract. Since the Canadiens had plenty of cap space to work with, the former agent smelled an opportunity and picked up the phone to call Flames’ GM Brad Treliving, whom he had dealt Toffoli to. In the end, he parleyed his cap space into Monahan and a conditional first-round pick at the 2025 NHL Draft. Calgary needed the cap space because they had decided to sign Nazem Kadri to a seven-year contract and figured it was time to move on from Monahan, whose injuries had plagued them. The center became an essential part of the team and a good leader for the young Canadiens to look up to. Unfortunately, he was injured again and was therefore limited to only 25 games in which he put up 17 points. With his contract up, the center could have tested the market, but he decided to sign for one year with the Canadiens, who had given him a chance when the Flames decided to move on. In his second season with the team, he scored 35 points in 49 games. With the Canadiens fast heading for elimination, Hughes traded the veteran forward to the Winnipeg Jets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/winnipeg-jets] for a first-round pick at the 2024 draft and a conditional third-round pick at the 2027 draft. At the 2024 draft, the pick Monahan allowed the Canadiens to obtain was traded to the Los Angeles Kings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings]to move up in the draft order and pick Michael Hage 21st overall. Fast forward a year later to the 2025 draft, and the pick that Calgary initially sent to Montreal, which had become the 16th selection overall, was moved to the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders] along with the Canadians’ pick, the 17th overall, and young forward Emil Heineman in return for an experienced yet young right-shot defenseman, Noah Dobson. Nearly three years after the initial deal with the Flames, it’s still paying dividends. Of course, it’s yet unknown how Hage will do in the NHL, but he’s about to embark on his sophomore season in the NCAA after winning the Big-10 Rookie of the Year award last season when he posted 34 points in 33 games. He’s also put himself in a good position to represent Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championships. As for Dobson, he’s the highest-paid active player on the Canadiens’ roster with a $9.5 AAV, and he is expected to play a massive role for the Habs this season. Furthermore, his arrival has made Logan Mailloux expendable, allowing Hughes to flip him to the St. Louis Blues for some much-needed help up front. Hughes inherited a prospect cupboard stacked with promising blueliners, but he’s not hesitant to tap into it to address deficiencies in other areas. With Hughes, the Canadiens have got a GM who not only sees the big picture, but also appears to be playing two or three turns ahead of everyone else. Jeff Gorton and Hughes said they wanted to build a perennial contender, and looking at them go, that’s precisely what they’re in the process of doing. By letting Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak walk, the team became a little bit more theirs and a little less Bergevin’s work. As the years pass, contracts signed by the former GM will expire, and it will be interesting to see how they handle those players, but so far, they’ve done impressive work, and the Monahan deal is right up there in the list of their most significant accomplishments. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. 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