How Will Canadiens' Kent Hughes Draft a Top Forward?

The Montreal Canadiens are going to lean on their scouting staff once again to pluck out some future NHL players, but how about top-six forward talent?

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes (left) talks with head coach Martin St. Louis before the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The focus of the Montreal Canadiens fanbase has shifted its radar to general manager Kent Hughes and more specifically, the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft.

A near-consensus across the hockey world is that the Canadiens need a top-six center and top-four right-shot defenseman before they can be considered a complete squad.

Depending on how the draft unfolds through the first 15 selections, Hughes could select a player or two, banking on a projected top forward or two sliding down the draft board, with hopes the development staff can shape them into top-six forwards.

We must remember that Hughes isn't one to shy away from draft-day theatrics, with his finest work coming between the announcements of fellow general managers selecting their first round picks.

Those consecutive first-round selections (16 and 17) could be added to a package to move up into the top 10 of the draft or to try and acquire the services of a stud right-shot defenseman or a second-line center.

It has been rather quiet on the trade front, but that doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of effort on Hughes' part to execute an NHL trade. But there is also the prospect of a player like Radim Mrtka or Roger McQueen being available after the first eight selections are made.

Hughes has reportedly expressed interest in many prospects projected to go well ahead of either of his selections, so the idea that a trade is being searched for is one that checks out. Caleb Desnoyers, Justin Carbonneau and Porter Martone have been big interests of the Canadiens' brass.

If one of those players is available later than expected, then he might take a big swing on a winger, while hoping that Michael Hage is ready in April 2026.

A forward with top-six potential added into the fold on June 27 could be the final piece to tie up the second line of the future — Ivan Demidov, Hage and whoever they select.

How Hughes intends to handle his affairs is anybody's guess, but his reputation precedes itself and at the end of the day, his goal remains the same. Making the Canadiens a perennial playoff contender is the end game.

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