In the high-stakes world of NHL front offices, few moves go unnoticed—and even fewer are shrouded in as much intrigue as the latest whispers surrounding Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes.

With the dust barely settling from the acquisition of promising forward Zachary Bolduc, new revelations have surfaced that suggest Hughes may have been quietly maneuvering for yet another major addition to the Canadiens’ top-six. But who was the mystery target?

And just how close did Montreal come to pulling off a blockbuster deal that could have sent shockwaves through the league?

Insider Marco D’Amico has dropped a tantalizing hint, confirming that serious discussions took place in early July for a coveted top-six forward. The details remain closely guarded, but the mere mention of names like Jordan Kyrou, Mason McTavish, Marco Rossi, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittelstadt has set the rumor mill ablaze.

With the Boston Bruins now reportedly dangling not one, but two high-caliber centers on the trade market, the stakes have never been higher.

What exactly went on behind closed doors? Which superstar was nearly draped in bleu-blanc-rouge? And could a seismic deal still be on the horizon? The full story is more surprising than you might think—read on to uncover the inside scoop.

Photo of Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes and Bruins Logo

Photo credit: Habs Fanatics

We suspected it, but the excellent Marco D’Amico has just confirmed that Kent Hughes tried something at the beginning of July.

Following the acquisition of forward Zachary Bolduc, Kent Hughes then attempted to acquire another top-six forward on the trade market.

See D’Amico’s exact statement on the subject on BPM Sports.

“These are not players the Canadiens would be willing to trade (Hage and Reinbacher).

They said it during the discussions for Noah Dobson, during the discussions for a top-six player in early July.”

– Marco D’Amico

Interesting!

What stands out here, of course, is the part where D’Amico mentions “during the discussions for a top-six player in early July.”

So, there were indeed discussions within the Montreal Canadiens to try to acquire another top-six forward a few weeks ago.

Which player was targeted by Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens here?

We have five possibilities, at least according to what we are hearing.

– Jordan Kyrou, a name that was circulating a lot in Montreal a few weeks ago.
– Mason McTavish
– Marco Rossi
– Pavel Zacha
– Casey Mittelstadt

We told you about Rossi:

As well as Mittelstadt, in the past few hours:

Could Kent Hughes resume these discussions in the coming days? Has it already happened?

One thing’s for sure-knowing that the Boston Bruins seem to have TWO solid centers available on the trade market, they are very interesting potential partners for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.