The Canadian and his general manager Kent Hughes will be closely observed this week in Las Vegas. Obviously, because of the draft, the first round of which will take place on Friday, but even more so because the Habs could be particularly active on the transactions market. Overview of the main cartridges of the DG.
For the second year in a row, the CH will quickly present itself to the podium on Friday, since it holds the fifth choice overall. Experts do not agree on the players who will have already left by that time, but there will certainly be a very talented skater still available who will please Montreal management. While it would be surprising if he wanted to get rid of his biggest asset, Kent Hughes could be lured by an irresistible offer from a club desperate to move forward, or else from an even better positioned club willing to move backwards of a few ranks. However, we can reasonably expect the team to keep this choice.
This one, we can imagine, is part of many discussions. After the top 20, and even more so after the top 25, picks often change hands. Last year, from 24th to 32nd, only three picks were made by the team that originally held them – picks 28, 29 and 31 were even traded twice. The trend is the same in 2024, with five picks in the 25-32 range that have already been involved in at least one trade. It was precisely by trading Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets that the Habs inherited the 26th pick. The Hughes-Gorton administration thus arrives at its third draft in a row with a late first-round pick. He used the former in 2022 (26th-ranked Filip Mesar) and traded the latter in 2023 (for Alex Newhook).
The Canadian arrives in the city of vice with no less than 12 draft picks. Easy prediction: He won’t add 12 players to his reserve list. We can therefore assume that some of these choices will be used to improve an exchange offer, to convince another GM to accept a player whom the CH would like to get rid of or simply to replenish the bank of choices of a club which does not ‘doesn’t have any, for example Vegas (no picks in rounds 2-5), Tampa (none until 4th round), Vancouver and Florida (no 1st and 2nd round picks) or even Dallas (no 2nd round picks in the 6th round). In the past, Montrealers have liquidated late picks by trading them for equivalent picks from the following year, but it would be surprising if that happened again this time, since Flannel already has 12 selections in 2025.
For months, we’ve been saying that Kent Hughes will eventually trade at least one defender, and it’s hard to believe that there is a real untouchable in the current lineup with the possible exception of Kaiden Guhle. Michael Matheson’s name has been brought up by various media outlets in speculation surrounding Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes. Indeed, a defender who has just amassed 62 points and who earns less than 5 million on average for another two years inevitably attracts attention. In a different casting, David Savard could also generate some demand – that was apparently the case at the March trade deadline. However, he and Matheson have in common that they are from Quebec and are the only veterans in a squad that is still very green. Unless there is a substantial return, they are probably more valuable in Montreal than elsewhere.
In Justin Barron, Jordan Harris and Arber not clear. We could also add to this list Jayden Struble, who played 56 games in 2023-2024, and Johnathan Kovacevic who, despite being 26 years old, is not overflowing with big league experience. Individually, Harris, Struble and Kovacevic would be worth a modest return, so it would be more likely to see them included in a more elaborate trade. Xhekaj, one can imagine, is already more attractive, to the point where one will doubt his real availability. Barron, finally, appears to be the most obvious candidate for a transaction, he who is without a contract and who will have to be placed on waivers starting next season if the organization wishes to sell him to the minors.
By inserting the name of David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson or Logan Mailloux into a transaction, the Canadian would strike a major blow. But will he make it that far? We can doubt it from a club undergoing reconstruction. However, the real targets that the other teams are aiming for are these, especially if the CH is eyeing a young attacker for its top 6. Reinbacher, 19, was one of the most prized defenders in the draft of last year. Hutson is preparing to make the jump to the pros after being dominant offensively in the NCAA. And Mailloux adapted instantly to the American League in 2023-2024.
He is not a player that fans in the four corners of the NHL dream of. But Armia is coming off a haul of 17 goals in 66 games, and above all he has regained the splendor that earned him the chance to sign the four-year contract which will expire at the end of next season. If a manager is looking for a big third or fourth line winger who excels on the penalty kill, he might be tempted to turn to Armia rather than commit for several years, and perhaps for more money, with another player of the same type on the free agent market.
Within the Canadian’s offensive hierarchy, he seems to have become the center player in excess, especially with the emergence of Alex Newhook in this position last season. He also has only one year left on his contract, and it is doubtful whether he is part of the organization’s future plans. At $4.45 million, however, it’s going to take someone with deep pockets, and you might even think he’d attach a draft pick to the deal to make it happen. The American, in fact, has been often injured over the last three years, and he has never established himself as a player capable of creating attack with regularity, without being a pure defensive expert. For the sake of argument, let’s mention that he’s from the Chicago suburbs, and the Blackhawks are swimming in salary space. However, it is not known whether this team is one of the eight listed on the no-trade list attached to his contract. Let us also point out that the CH, given its financial room for maneuver, is in no hurry to get rid of veterans in attack, whether it is Dvorak, Armia or another.
