Big move by the Canadiens coming with William Nylander? His name has been linked to Kent Hughes

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Elias Edmonson
August 7, 2023 (5:10 PM)

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With the recent transaction made by the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes proves that he is very active in improving his team in the short and long term, by making some very interesting moves for the future of his organization.

He managed to offload two undesirable contracts to acquire a 2nd round pick and a prospect, in addition to obtaining a salary retention on Jeff Petry's contract, making it more appealing to trade again soon. Add to this the addition of goaltender Casey DeSmith, which makes Jake Allen available on the trade market.

Hughes' next big step will be to add heavy artillery to his team, mainly to the top 6 of his offense. In connection with this need, in a recent article by the excellent Arpon Basu of The Athletic, the Tricolore would be in a very good position to make a splash in the summer of 2024, due to the salary cap space the team will benefit from.

In fact, at the present time, the Canadiens will have $20 million available, and this amount could significantly increase if the cap were to rise as anticipated for the next season, in addition to the upcoming trades that could involve Jeff Petry, Christian Dvorak, and possibly Josh Anderson.

With this significant financial maneuvering room, Basu seriously links the CH to star forward William Nylander, who may see the end of his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Here are the very interesting explanations to support his statement:

"If the Canadiens' leadership decides it's time to be active in the free-agent market, I believe they will target a forward, specifically, a winger capable of playing in the top 6. They would have the room to aggressively target William Nylander if he hits the market, and everything indicates that talks between Nylander and the Maple Leafs are not going well. He will be 28 years old at that time and is one of the most consistent players on his team over the past few years, even in the playoffs, where he has collected 25 points in his last 25 games, as much as Auston Matthews.

Nylander will cost at least $10 million per year on a long-term contract that will take him into his late thirties. There would definitely be a risk, but players like him rarely hit the free-agent market. I'm not ready to predict that the Canadiens will sign him, but if I were in charge, I would do everything in my power to put him under contract."

Wow! Although it would be a huge investment for the club, if Hughes were to get his hands on Nylander without having to pay anything for his future, it would be a potential home run for the organization.

The Swede who will be 28 years old in the summer of 2024 is in the prime of his life. He will still have at least six very good seasons to offer on an eight-year deal. He just finished the last campaign with a harvest of 40 goals and 87 points in 82 games. He would certainly take the Canadiens' offense to another level.

Imagine a top 6 with Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, and William Nylander, it would certainly make sparks fly.

The journalist concludes by mentioning that the Canadiens will not necessarily sign Nylander, but it will be a case to follow during the next campaign.

Credit: HabsetLNH.com