Tomorrow marks the end of NHL player contracts, whether restricted or unrestricted, and Kent Hughes had work to do.
Additionally, as you may have seen, Johnathan Kovacevic has been traded to the Devils for a 4th-round pick.
This means there are four right-handed defensemen ready or nearly ready for the NHL: David Savard, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, and Justin Barron. Kent Hughes has made his choice.
On the left side, it's a bit more complicated. There's Michael Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, and Jordan Harris who are ready. Hutson and Struble can go to Laval without waivers, but is that really what the Canadiens want?
Hughes' personnel moves are not yet finished. While there's no rush, he must make choices for the left side and unfortunately sacrifice one or more players he likes. He can't keep everyone and leave them in the stands, especially with a team mentality based on merit.
