Major development regarding Matvei Michkov and the Montreal Canadiens: A significant piece of information has just emerged regarding Kent Hughes' intentions

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David St-Jean
July 20, 2023 (1:58 PM)

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Just hours before the draft, many experts mentioned that Kent Hughes was highly interested in the Russian prodigy Matvei Michkov and that it wouldn't be surprising for him to be selected by the Montreal Canadiens.

However, as we now know, the story took a different turn. The Canadiens' management passed on the star forward, opting instead to select the young Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher.

During his appearance on BPM Sports, Nicolas Cloutier made a major revelation, stating that the team's management never had any intention of drafting Michkov. He also added that the Canadiens' General Manager only wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, so that other NHL teams wouldn't know whom he was going to pick.

"I'll tell you one thing. The Canadiens were never interested in drafting Michkov. It was never in their plans, but Kent Hughes always wanted to keep his cards (to himself). He wanted to create hope, even went as far as meeting with him, knowing very well they weren't going to draft him.

I think it was a poker game by Kent Hughes, as they had to make other teams believe they might draft another player. (for trade discussions)" - Nicolas Cloutier, TVA Sports

Wow! While it was well-known that the Canadiens were keen on Reinbacher, it's quite surprising to learn that selecting Michkov was never part of the management's plans. It's disappointing to hear such remarks, given the talent and enormous potential of the Russian forward.

The Canadiens have been searching for a player capable of scoring over 80 points per season for years, and Michkov is highly likely to reach that milestone numerous times in his career. Do you believe Kent Hughes made the right decision by choosing to ignore him?

Source: Habs&LNH