By sacrificing the 16th and 17th century of the draft, in addition to Emil Heineman, to acquire Noah Dobson, Kent Hughes has deprived the Canadian of a first -round selection for the first time since 2008.
But faith of the Montreal managing director, it was worth it.
“The reason why we have accumulated the choices in recent years, it was precisely to be measured to pay the price requested if a player of this caliber became available,” said Hughes, at the end of this endless evening.
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“It does not often happen that a player with so much experience becomes available at 25,” he continued. We have the opportunity to acquire a player who is young enough to be able to put him under contract for the best seasons of his career. ”
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Despite his young age, the defender already has six seasons in the NHL behind the tie. After a 70-point campaign in 2023-2024, he saw his production fall by almost half (39 points), last winter.
This has raised doubts to some, considering that he is now under contract with the Canadian for the next eight winters for the modest sum of $ 9.5 million per campaign.
Obviously, Hughes did not act on a whim.
“We did our homework. We talked to enough people who know him to conclude that [la dernière saison] was an anomaly in his career, “he argued.
Better paid than the captain
Even if, technically, the contract was written by Mathieu Darche, we understand that the methods were dictated by Hughes and Jeff Gorton.
This means that, for the first time since they are at the head of the team, they granted a higher salary than that of Captain Nick Suzuki. A reality that probably comes with some pressure.
“It doesn’t change anything [à la hiérarchie des contrats] Because, so far, the players whose agreement has been extended left from their first professional contract, first mentioned Hughes.
“And that a player does $ 7 million, $ 8.5 million or $ 9.5 million, he arrives here with a lot of pressure to perform. It comes with the sweater, “he continued.
CH even more attractive
Now that the defense needs are met, Hughes intends to tackle those of its center line.
“We will continue to try to find a way of improving in attack. If it does not work via a transaction, we will take a look at the side of the market for autonomous players, explained Hughes. I cannot guarantee that we will succeed, but we will try. ”
Moreover, it is of the opinion that the arrival of Dobson could encourage quality attackers to want to join his training.
“It makes us a more attractive team for an attacker. When you can roll two offensive trios, the players who are on each of these units want the defenders behind them to be able to move the washer. On this side, I think we are now by car. ”
