Habs fans debate GM Kent Hughes’ work this summer

On a particularly hot, sticky, humid summer week, Montrealers’ thoughts turn naturally to … hockey. While non-fans are seeking relief at the pool, lake or their favourite air-conditioned watering hole, Habs fans have been debating whether Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes did the right thing by not pulling the trigger on any major deals during the traditional feeding frenzy that goes on around the time of the NHL Draft and free agency.

My feeling is most fans are OK with Hughes not giving in to pressure and making some of the nutty deals other general managers resorted to over the past week. I mean how many people are down with the Chicago Blackhawks giving up their fourth-overall pick to pick up Bowen Byram and then making him the best-paid defenceman in the league by throwing $12.5 million a season at him?

Hughes and his boss, Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton, tend to be conservative managers when it comes to spending. They don’t have any players on their roster making more than $10 million and the biggest deal Hughes did make this week was inking a new contract with Russian winger Ivan Demidov. He locked up DemiGod with an eight-year contract extension, with an average annual cap hit of US$9.15 million.

With that deal, HuGo now have all of their key players locked up long term, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson and now Demidov. The highest salary among the bunch is Dobson’s at US$9.5 million. That’s called smart management.

The firm of Gorton Hughes Inc. also extended Jakub Dobes, the young man responsible more than anyone else for pulling the Canadiens into the conference final this spring. The Habs signed a new deal with the Czech netminder, giving him a contract extension worth an average of US$5.36 million per season. The fact is if he continues to play the way he did during that surprising playoff spring — in other words, as well as any goalie in the National Hockey League — that deal will be a steal.

So they have their core in place. But still there’s no denying the team is missing some key elements, ones many fans had hoped Hughes might have been able to pick up over recent days. Anyone who watched the playoffs knows this team is lacking three major pieces. Those would be: A second-line centre not named Jake Evans, some sandpaper up front and arguably most importantly some big, tough, skilled defencemen who can play hockey AND clear the front of the net.

Now, of course, the summer is far from over, so at least one or two players could be added by opening day and, just as obviously, Gorton and Hughes could swing some trades during the season as well. Still, you do have to worry about the concept of Montreal starting in October with the exact same lineup. The Florida Panthers got a lot better, I believe the Toronto Maple Leafs have improved and the Buffalo Sabres will be better just because they’re a year older. In short, the toughest division in the league, the Atlantic, will not be getting any easier this coming season.

I still don’t think there were many deals made this week that would’ve been good ones for the Habs. At the same time, if anyone thinks it will be easy for Montreal to just cruise back into the conference final, then they’re dreaming. And, in case you’re not following, the rebuild is over. It’s time to win, now.

And come December, if the Canadiens are languishing near the bottom of the division, spit is gonna get real. Martin St. Louis will, one would think, finally face some truly tough questions. Speaking of the head coach, his contract is up at the end of the season, and general managers don’t usually like to have coaches on expiring deals, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Gorton and Hughes ink an extension with their good pal this summer.

Here are what a few fans said on Facebook when asked to rate Hughes’s off-season so far:

Christopher Curtis: Could be a trade deadline deal this year. Hopefully, no more last-minute fax machine malfunctions this time.

Daniel MacKenzie: HuGo has all off-season to make a deal. Hughes and Gorton are too hockey and fiscally intelligent to make a trade for the sake of making a trade.

François Bertrand: Hughes is going about it the right way. He’s being patient and looking for the right deal to make, the one that will bring in one or two more impact players.

Steve Sicard: Hughes has and is working the phones to make a trade that will upgrade the team. I was one of the fans that wanted a couple of big trades, however, I never wanted Hage or Zharovsky included in any trade. I still don’t, especially after watching (Thursday’s) scrimmage. I would like to see them add a right shot defenceman who can partner with Hutson.

Sidhartha Banerjee: Kent reminds me of my late dad: appreciates a good deal. I don’t think he’s done … those deals will be out there once the dust settles.

Derek Christie: He saved his money for when players that fit the need are available (2C, big bad forward who can also score à la Tom Wilson) … In the meantime, the prospect pool is rich. Carry on! I give him an A-.

Neath Turcot: I respect this management group precisely for the patience they have shown, making no deal is almost always going to be better than making a bad deal.

Daniel Weinstock: I mean compare HuGo (and I think we now have to add Bobrov to the mix — HuGoBo?) to the Leafs guy.

Kathy Berthelet: I’m OK with management taking their time to find the right ”fit” at the right price all while locking in the young core players with good, long-term contracts.

[email protected]