A noticeable trend has been his strategy of acquiring promising young players who have yet to make their mark in the NHL. During his mid-season review on Monday, he even admitted to seeking another "Kirby Dach" type transaction.
Indeed, the general manager is well aware that sooner or later, he will need to trade one or more young defensemen from the organization to acquire potentially top-tier forwards.
BPM Sports has joined in on the speculation and proposed four young players to Hughes.
These players are Vasili Podkolzin, Anton Lundell, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexander Holtz. They are players drafted between the 2nd and 12th overall picks from 2019 to 2020, who are poised to make an impact in the NHL.
Anton Lundell would be an excellent choice for several reasons. The Panthers will soon need good defensemen if they hope to win the Stanley Cup. Therefore, they could be a good trade partner with the Canadiens.
Furthermore, Lundell is a player who promises to be productive and highly reliable in his zone. Learning from Aleksander Barkov is evident in his play, and he is even discussed as a potential future candidate for the Selke Trophy.
How about you? Which of the four would you like Kent Hughes to pursue?
POLL | ||
Which of these four young players would you most like to see with the Canadiens? | ||
Kaapo Kakko | 238 | 36.3 % |
Anton Lundell | 172 | 26.3 % |
Alexander Holtz | 180 | 27.5 % |
Vasili Podkolzin | 65 | 9.9 % |
List of polls |