There is a lot of criticism of the Montreal Canadiens for not doing enough at the NHL Trade Deadline, given how wide open the Eastern Conference is. It wasn’t for the lack of effort, as General Manager Kent Hughes told the media last Friday. He was in on a number of deals that never crossed the finish and he could revisit them.
“From the start, our objective is to find deals that move our primary objective forward – to win long-term,” Hughes said in French. “We spent a lot of time (on) one deal in particular, and it went down to the last minute, but it doesn’t prevent us from revisiting in the summer. But that won’t stop us from revisiting it in the summer.”
Is the Rebuild Finally Over for the Montreal Canadiens?
That is where the Montreal Canadiens have done their damage with Executive Vice President Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes running things. Just look at what they have done at the NHL Draft, where they traded for Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, and Noah Dobson. Not to mention, they took a flyer on Patrik Laine in the summer of 2024. Even after the draft, trading for Zach Bolduc, moving out a player like Logan Mailloux.
So the Canadiens have a plan they are looking to follow. There is no deviation from it because management may not believe this is the season for them to make a run or that they are ready to win. Similar to what has happened in Detroit with the Red Wings under GM Steve Yzerman.
But not only do the Canadiens follow a plan, but they also execute in-season trades before the deadline. Last year, they acquired Alexandre Carrier. This year, they picked up Alexandre Texier off waivers and re-acquired Phillip Danault. Again, most of their deadlines were already done. However, that didn’t mean Hughes wasn’t looking to improve areas of need, with NHL-quality depth for now and in the future.
NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens Not Going To Deviate From Plan and Will Target Center
Everything the Montreal Canadiens do is calculated to put this team in a position to be a consistent playoff team after taking strides last season. Remember, the Canadiens made the playoffs last season, even though the goal was to play meaningful games. Originally, Montreal was going to be sellers, but captain Nick Suzuki told Hughes they liked the makeup of the room and didn’t want to make any moves. Suzuki, along with Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, and others, brought Montreal to the playoffs.
The 2025-26 season was the year Montreal had to make the playoffs in their minds and according to their plan. They could make a play for the division title. However, this isn’t a perfect team, but why risk creating more problems and holes by trying to make a big splash now? That doesn’t seem like how Montreal has been operating under this management staff.
As Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said on TSN Radio in Montreal on March 3rd, 2026, heading into the NHL Trade Deadline, if the price isn’t right, the Canadiens aren’t to rush into any move.
“If they don’t feel the price is right, they’re not going to just rush into it, because this player is available,” Pagnotta said. “They can pursue him in the summer, or if he’s been moved, they can look at what their alternative options are at that point.”
NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens Want To Add But at What Cost?
While Kent Hughes could have rewarded the group for their success this season, what is the point of doing so when the group is heading in the right direction?
“I think the message is we’re all moving in the right direction. We’re growing together. We’re all buying in. We’ve all bought into what this plan is,” Pagnotta continued. “Yes, we’d love to be able to add another piece to help our chances this season, but we want to make sure that our window isn’t just going to be open for one or two years. We want to make sure that this is going to be a long-term occurrence. And I think that’s what the messaging is for their team. And I think they’re, I think the players understand that.”
While the players would love management to make a move or two to help them this season, they understand the ultimate goal. There are still holes on this team, but next year, the Montreal Canadiens should look to reward the group.
“But I don’t know if they’re there just yet, because I still believe that this is a team that you’ve got that hole up front. They’re looking at somebody on the back end, and there are question marks, as we know, with respect to the stability of the goaltending,” Pagnotta said. “So I don’t know if they’re there just yet, but I would suspect in another year from now, they’re probably going to be kind of subscribing to that type of mindset.”
NHL Rumors: The Cost Certainty of Players With Term, and the Montreal Canadiens Need to Gamble
Again, we know they tried to add a defenseman with term on his contract this deadline season. Again, Stanley Cup Playoff teams can’t have enough quality depth NHL defensemen on the roster. Kent Hughes tried to help his top six. Who it was, you will have a better chance of getting into Fort Knox than finding out for the teams involved. And of course, goaltending? Is Jacob Fowler their guy moving forward, and who do they pair him with?
So the Montreal Canadiens are sticking with their plan? Yes, it made sense to add, but at what cost? This group is looking for sustained success, not to be a flash in the pan. Expect Montreal to do something this summer to improve its team.
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