As the NHL offseason officially begins, all eyes are on Montreal where general manager Kent Hughes is quietly shaping what could be one of the most pivotal summers in recent Canadiens history. With the draft fast approaching and the market already buzzing with early trades, anticipation is building around Hughes’ next moves.

The pressure is on to address glaring needs down the middle, especially with the arrival of highly-touted prospect Ivan Demidov. Montreal’s front office has made it clear: strengthening the center depth is a top priority, and Hughes is reportedly exploring creative solutions to fill both the second and third-line center positions. With plenty of trade capital at his disposal and a reputation for pulling off surprise deals, Hughes is poised to reshape the roster in bold and unexpected ways. As fans and insiders alike speculate on potential targets and scenarios, one thing is certain—this offseason promises to deliver plenty of intrigue and, perhaps, a few shocks for Canadiens faithful.

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The NHL season is now over, and general managers around the league, including Kent Hughes, can now shift focus and begin their offseason.

We’ve already seen a few trades, including those involving Erik Haula and Mason Marchment.

It also wouldn’t be surprising to see several more announced before next Friday’s draft.

As for the Montreal Canadiens, the excellent Darren Dreger recently confirmed that Kent Hughes is indeed hard at work and is targeting two specific roles in his lineup.

Darren Dreger reports that Kent Hughes is working on two types of trades: one for a second-line center and one for a third-line center

Very interesting!

Darren Dreger: Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is “open for business”, wants to improve 2/3 C position, has a lot of trade capital.

– TSN 1050

Who will feed young Ivan Demidov?

Let’s be honest-between Nick Suzuki on the top line and Jake Evans on the last, there are major gaps to fill.

Especially considering that past experiments with Kirby Dach or Alex Newhook haven’t been all that successful.

The most important thing, in my opinion, will be to find a reliable linemate to support Ivan Demidov in his first full NHL season.

He’ll need not only a mentor on the ice but also off it. A true NHL veteran who can guide him through tough times-not a player they’re hoping to revive.

No, that player won’t be Sidney Crosby, but Kent Hughes might surprise us. He’s known for pulling off unexpected trades to fill holes in his lineup.

Few of his moves have been predicted-even by the insiders. I’m not worried. I’m confident the Canadiens will have a strong center line next fall.

Christian Dvorak to the rescue?

It’ll be interesting to see if the Gorton/Hughes duo considers bringing back Christian Dvorak at a lower price if their trade or free agency searches don’t pan out.

The American, who happens to be one of Cole Caufield’s best friends, performed quite well this season-especially in the playoffs.

The only knock against him was his 4.45M annual salary.

But that was under the team’s previous management, not the Gorton/Hughes era.

If he plays the same style as last season but for less money, criticism against him would surely die down.

After all, he put up 33 points in 82 games this year, plus 2 more in 5 playoff matches.

What stands out most is his average ice time of 16:22 during the postseason, with most of those minutes spent on the penalty kill.