Blockbuster trade involving the Montreal Canadiens could occur at any given moment
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 7, 2026 (12:21)
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Photo credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens general manager is not quietly circling one name on a whiteboard this offseason.
Pierre LeBrun reported on Melnick in the Afternoon that Hughes is reaching out to every NHL team with a center or right-shot defenseman available.
The scope of that search tells a different story than the typical offseason chatter.
"I think Montreal is gonna call every single team that has a center or a right shot D to see what the market is, no question about it; they already are."
- Pierre LeBrun
- Pierre LeBrun
Two trades collapsed on Hughes before the March deadline. David Pagnotta reported a right-shot defenseman deal fell apart at the last minute when the partner team walked away.
Anthony Di Marco confirmed Hughes tried to move Patrik Laine in a package for defensive help. That attempt went nowhere either.
Renaud Lavoie then revealed that a second-line center acquisition came close but never materialized.
Three failed deals in a matter of weeks rewired how Hughes is approaching this summer.
Flooding the market is the leverage play
A GM who watched one partner pull out at the last minute does not go back to the same narrow approach.
When you call 31 other front offices about the same positions, you create competition for your own assets and drive the asking price down.
Montreal has roughly $11 million in cap space, a first-round pick David Pagnotta confirms is available, and Brendan Gallagher's expiring $6.5 million contract as a trade chip.
That gives Hughes real ammunition, but only if multiple teams are bidding against each other.
Dylan Larkin's trade request from Detroit has handed Hughes an obvious target - a 34-goal center with five years of term at $8.7 million.
But Larkin carries a full no-trade clause, and Steve Yzerman may resist dealing his captain within the Atlantic Division.
Larkin may also not want Canada.
The failed deadline is shaping the summer
Kirby Dach's 37-game regular season and Noah Dobson's rough playoff - zero goals, one assist, minus-seven across 13 games - made the roster gaps undeniable.
Carolina exposed both problems in five games during the Eastern Conference Final.
Hughes is not guessing about what this team needs. He is making sure he does not get left empty-handed again.
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Oilers trade Darnell Nurse to the Red Wings for franchise goaltender in latest blockbuster proposal
Oilers trade Darnell Nurse to the Red Wings for franchise goaltender in latest blockbuster proposal
Previously on HockeyLatest