Big offseason coming for Kent Hughes after Stanley Cup playoffs

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has two offseason targets now. If he wants this team to stay competitive, he has the draft and the lead up before the start of next season, he will make them in that time.

He will need to determine how to acquire a 2nd line centre, and how to fill that vacant role left by Savard.

I don’t love Logan Mailloux defensively, but with a smart lefty, he is a good third-pair guy for sure. Park him with Arber, I promise this will work.

Then you move up to the second pair. Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson are staples in the top four. Both are good on the top pair, because they complement each other well. But having them split would do wonders for the blueline.

You do this by telling Matheson to kick rocks - trade. Then you go with Carrier and Hutson, and Guhle and Reinbacher. 

This will be the defensive core that wins the Habs a Stanley Cup. I can feel it in my bones. 

Then Jakub Dobes, and Jacob Fowler in 2026-27.

I feel like this is the Stanley Cup-Winning formula. 

And with Montreal squeaking into the final wildcard in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals know better than to take the Habs lightly. 

Alex Ovechkin keeps a tight-knit, respectful team, and while they are all games - Tom Wilson especially, Montreal has the toughness and youth to make some noise.

Montreal is no joke, and if you look down to Laval, I suggest you watch Reinbacher and Mailloux’s play. 

It will answer questions for Kent Hughes. June will be busy, and assessing his two best right defence prospects is a must.

He has picks, other prospects and cap space to make this Habs offseason the springboard up the NHL standings in 2025-26. 

Kent doesn’t play games, and Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, Nick Suzuki, Kaiden Guhle and Cole Caufield aren’t backing down now. 

Addressing some needs could transform this team from wildcard 2, up to top of the Atlantic Division when April 2026 rolls around. 

Breathe it in CH fans, Ovechkin vs. Demidov is nearing it’s start. 

No.8, 39 years old, broke (895-plus goals) The Great One’s goal record (894), and he is hungry to lead his team from a dominant regular season into a long Stanley Cup playoff run.

However, No. 93, the 19-year-old - Demidov is drawing comparisons to Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Bure and Nikita Kucherov - though he compares himself to Jack Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov - and he has two points (goal and an assist in his debut) through game 81 and 82 of the Habs season. 

Demidov is a highlight reel on skates, and everything is done with an ease to it. He doesn’t understand how good he is, and he is only going to get better. He has all the tools.

Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren are going to see all of them. 

And The Capitals defence - Jakob Chychrun, John Carlson, Alexander Alexeyev, Martin Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, Dylan McIlrath and Trevor Van Riemsdyk/Matt Roy - should be a corps that is not fun to play against.  

The playoffs are upon us!