A 40-minute one-on-one with Kent Hughes takes us into a world of discoveries. We meet a warm man, who speaks with an open heart. His words and confidences monopolize around twenty pages in a notebook.
• Also read: Making the jump to GM: for Kent Hughes, it was Montreal or… Boston
We can touch on all subjects with him. His responses are elaborate and thoughtful. Of course, the reconstruction in which the Canadian has been engaged since his arrival in the organization is the central theme.
Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton, Bob Gainey and Michael Andlauer, who was a shareholder in the team when he was interviewed for the general manager position, canvassed his opinion on the matter. Hughes replied that he first had to take the pulse of the situation to get a clear idea.
On January 18, 2022, Hughes became the 18the general director of history of the Canadian.
“I didn’t have a mandate to rebuild at the beginning,” he says.
“But it became clear in January and February that we needed to make changes.”
Martin Chevalier / JdeM
The simplest phase
Carey Price and Shea Weber were no longer able to play. The Canadian was languishing in the bottom of the general rankings following his participation in the Stanley Cup final the previous season. This dizzying fall pushed Marc Bergevin towards the exit.
Three weeks after Hughes came on the scene, Dominique Ducharme took his turn. He is replaced by Martin St-Louis, a long-time acquaintance of Hughes.
Events follow one another at a frantic pace. Ben Chiarot, Artturi Lehkonen and Tyler Toffoli are traded before the trade deadline. Alexander Romanov and Ryan Poehling are in turn during the summer.
The transition movement is well and truly underway. For the first time in its long history, the Canadian is starting to rebuild its squad from the ground up.
Hughes explains the ins and outs of the operation to fans. He doesn’t make any promises, because he knows the exercise is long and tedious.
He shows transparency.
“We don’t have all the answers,” he says in the Hartland Molson lounge at the Bell Centre.
“We make decisions, we’re not sure it’s going to be correct. If it was always black or white, it would be much easier.
“We don’t let ourselves be guided by emotion. We try to make logical and rational decisions. If we can take a risk, we will. We are also aware that the first phase of reconstruction is the simplest.”
Ben Pelosse / GoM
Opposite reactions
The process involves stacking draft picks and carefully ensuring the development of young players.
“There are 32 teams that want to win the Stanley Cup, that’s the ultimate goal. When we draft fifth, that means there are 27 teams ahead of us and we have a lot of work to do.”
At the end of last season, Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton and Hughes raised the bar a bit by expressing their desire for the team to be in the playoff race.
“There are people who say it’s corporate speak and it’s a way of lowering expectations,” Hughes continues.
“I don’t really want to lower expectations. I don’t think it’s possible to do that.
“Some will say that we will win the Stanley Cup this year, others will say that we are rotten. I am aware that we are operating in a hot market. That’s something I try to explain to Jeff.”
Ben Pelosse / GoM
Like the Red Sox in Boston
Jeff is Jeff Gorton, a son of Boston.
“I lived there for 30 years,” continues Hughes.
“Bostonians see their city as a hockey market. It’s true that hockey is popular there, but there is not the same…”
Hughes searches for the term.
What he means is that Boston fans have the same passion for the Red Sox as Montrealers have for the Canadian. It’s a matter of heart and tradition.
“That’s it!” exclaims Hughes.
“I didn’t know what the Red Sox meant to Boston until I moved there. The first time the Patriots won the Super Bowl, half of the front page of the Boston Globe was devoted to an article that talked about the Red Sox’s desire to pick up Alex Rodriguez on the free agent market.
It was ultimately the Texas Rangers who got hold of “A-Rod”.
“Even though Boston is a baseball town, the Pats and Bruins [et on pourrait ajouter les Celtics] occupy a large place in sports news, adds Hughes.
“In Montreal, we have the Canadian. People are much more educated when it comes to hockey. They are following it more closely.”
Everyone is both general manager and coach of CH.
That’s a lot of people to please.
The importance of being accessible
Kent Hughes feels comfortable in his role as general manager. It’s like he’s always been doing this work. His training as an agent gave him a good foundation. He already knew a lot about the functions of an NHL GM when he arrived at the Canadiens.
Like any good agent, Hughes maintained close relationships with his clients. He decided that he would continue to encourage dialogue with his players, even if he was no longer on the same side of the fence.
For him, it’s just a matter of common sense. Gone are the days when general managers and coaches kept their players in a climate of uncertainty and insecurity.
Not for everyone, but almost.
Less obvious for some
Some will tell you that they don’t want to combine pleasure and business so that it doesn’t interfere with their decisions.
“I decided to maintain relationships with the players in my role as GM,” says Hughes.
“You have to be accessible. If I have to make a difficult decision, the only thing I can do is be honest with them. If they accept it, so much the better. Otherwise, it doesn’t change my position.”
Hughes had just taken office when he began receiving text messages from players wondering what to expect as the end of the trading period approached. One of those was Ben Chiarot, who was in his last year of contract. The veteran defender was absolutely keen to know Hughes’ intentions regarding his future.
As fate would have it, Hughes contracted COVID-19 and he had to leave Toronto, where he was with the team, to return home. This setback delayed things for a few days, but Chiarot was still as persistent as ever.
So much so that one day, Jeff Gorton asked Hughes: “Hey, do we run a day camp?”
Gorton is more of the old school, having learned the trade under the direction of Harry Sinden in Boston and Glen Sather in New York, two men who were not into lace.
Times have changed.
And free agents
Hughes ends with a word regarding salaries, which is intended as a message for those who criticize him for not being active on the free agent market.
“The monetary question has never been a problem for the Canadian,” he says.
“We’re going to spend what we need to when we’re in a position to win. But the money must be well shared. To win, players sometimes have to accept less money than the market will offer them.
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