“The series were not part of our expectations” – Kent Hughes

UPGRADE DAY

Kent Hughes sees his team's season coming to an end slowly but surely and, if the whole thing constitutes a failure in the eyes of some supporters, the general manager of the Montreal Canadiens is far from evaluating the situation of the same way. 

Admittedly, the Habs are much better placed in the Connor Bedard derby than in the race for the playoffs, their 60 small points in the standings practically earning them elimination. However, many of the organization's young prospects have been able to show off their skills in the National League, which includes Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle and Jordan Harris. The experience gained despite the collective troubles will prove invaluable for the future.

Also, this is one of the explanations for the rather modest objectives of the team in 2022-2023.

“When you have the fifth-worst record, it's hard to sit back and say it was a successful campaign. That said, forming a team participating in the playoffs was not part of our expectations, he declared in an interview with the Sportsnet network, on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the DGs of the Bettman circuit. We had to deal with a staggering number of injuries and we remained competitive. It was essential for our development, in my opinion. The progression of our individual players and our culture here has been helped.”

Don't give up

Although some periods have proven to be more depressing than others. others, the team didn't throw in the towel.

“When we had a bad holiday season and the competitiveness wasn't there, it wasn't a good environment for young players. However, today we have about 15 games left and we have had very few mediocre games, which is very positive, mentioned Hughes. And our group included veterans who have always believed in the game system. They have been excellent leaders and role models in creating a culture that is meant to be encouraging.”