Hughes rises to the challenge in first big test

MONTREAL -- There's a growing sense of excitement among Canadiens fans.

And it's not just because young stars like Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki keep fans on the edge of their seats.
The 2022 trade deadline, one of the busiest in Habs history, yielded an embarrassment of riches for the organization in high-end draft picks and quality prospects.
Most analysts have pegged the Canadiens as one of the overwhelming winners this year, a sentiment echoed by the vast majority of Bleu, Blanc et Rouge supporters.

It's quite evident why fans are delighted with the assets acquired. All told, in just five trades prior to the deadline, the Canadiens landed two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick, not to mention several prospects.
But there was more to the weeks leading up to the deadline than just collecting picks and prospects. It was clear that general manager Kent Hughes set his prices, and only accepted deals if teams were willing to match his proposed cost.
It's not only a sign of supreme confidence and competence, it shows that despite his status as a rookie GM, Hughes has firmly established a long-term plan, one that he has committed to in earnest.
While it's true Montreal will miss the services of Artturi Lehkonen, Brett Kulak, Ben Chiarot, Tyler Toffoli, and Andrew Hammond, players that gave an honest effort every night, it's also fair to say the Canadiens maximized the value of their outgoing assets.
Kulak is headed to Edmonton for defenseman William Lagesson and a second-round pick.
Chiarot, who had roughly 20 games left on his contract, turned into a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and NCAA prospect Ty Smilanic.
Toffoli also led to a very good return, notably a first-round pick and a prospect with an innate scoring touch in Emil Heineman.
The same can be said for Justin Barron, Colorado's first-round pick in 2020. Like Smilanic and Heineman, Barron, who is a defenseman, is an excellent skater that has high-end offensive instincts. It's also worth noting the Canadiens received a second-round pick in the deal that sent Lehkonen to Colorado.
Simply put, it was an excellent return, the type of return you cannot refuse.
"We didn't make any calls for Lehkonen or Kulak," said Hughes. "But we received calls, and the trade offers got better and better, and in the end, we made our decision."
Barron, who is a right-handed, won't just fill an organizational need, he also has the potential to form an exciting defensive duo with prospect Kaiden Guhle given they spent some time together on Team Canada during the World Junior Championship.

"A guy like Barron, who's 20 years old and shoots right, is obviously very much in demand," said Vincent Lecavalier, the special advisor to hockey operations. "Big, right-shooting defensemen are in demand all over the NHL, so to get him is very good for the future for the Canadiens."
But beyond the assets, the days leading up to the deadline showed that Hughes isn't afraid of making bold moves. He understands that in the modern sports world, you must take calculated risks if you want to win championships. He's also been quite transparent about his intentions with the fans, the media, and the players.
Of course, there's still a lot of work left to do. Prospect development will play a major part in the Habs' future.
Nevertheless, the Canadiens have done a great job mitigating the development risks by not only stocking up on quality draft picks, but staggering them over several drafts.
This strategy, combined with the influx of young players joining the team, should ensure the prospect pipeline will flow for many years. And with a little luck, a lot of foresight and some intricate planning, it should lead to a significant amount of success.
Time will tell whether the players and prospects pan out, but ask most Canadiens fans and they'll tell you; the 2022 trade deadline was the perfect first step.