Every hockey fan notices the team's success and recognizes the team's failures. The person behind both is the team's general manager. Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has brought new life into the organization since his hire and the future looks bright with him in control. The organization believes in his abilities so much that they have him a new five-year extension, announced by Canadians President, Owner, and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Molson.
Hughes is playing a pivotal role in the Canadians' success
Hughes was named the 18th GM in Canadians history on January 18, 2022, and led the 2024-25 team to their first playoff berth since the 2020-21 season. He was quite successful before being named to the GM post in Montreal. Before this role, he was a certified agent with Quebec-based firm Quatrexx Management and represented Patrice Bergeron, Anthony Beauvillier, Darnell Nurse, and Kris Letang. He represented 20 players at the time when he was hired as GM.
Some of the biggest moves he has made since coming on board have been signing defenseman Lane Hutson to a new eight-year, $70.8 million extension. That's in addition to the signings of Cole Caufiled, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky to new deals. Hughes also was responsible for acquiring defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders, Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also part of the deal that sent the contract of star goaltender Carey Price to the San Jose Sharks.
One of his biggest moves was hiring Martin St. Louis as the team's head coach. St. Louis came into the organization without previous head coaching experience and he has done wonders with the young lineup. An underrated move from day one, it looks to be the boldest move he has made so far.
What can fans expect from this extension?
Hughes has done tremendous things in bringing in young talent and keeping them in Montreal with long deals. He has locked up key pieces and he can now focus on other talents around him. Keeping this team together is the number one priority and making the right moves to keep this team competitive is something he will keep doing. He has pressed the right buttons in keeping this team in the race down the stretch. This team will continue to improve and get stronger as long as he is GM.
In other news, Molson also added that Jeff Gorton also signed a new five-year deal and he has been promoted to President of Hockey Operations. Gorton has been with the Montreal organization since November 28, 2021.