Hughes and other members of the Canadiens' management group are meeting with prospects ahead of the upcoming NHL Draft, which will be held at the Bell Centre in early July.
Here are a few highlights from Hughes' press conference:
Hughes on the importance of the top pick being NHL-ready for next season:
We'll be patient [with the player]. We want the best player for the future, not the best player for next season.
Hughes on possibly targeting a center with the first-overall selection:
I think I answered that on the night of the NHL Draft Lottery. We'll draft the best player available, whether it's a defenseman, a winger, or a center. We won't just fulfill a need with the first-overall pick. We want to draft a player that we believe has the most potential, whether he's a center or not.
Hughes on the importance of the interview process at the Combime:
I would put more weight on the interviews [than the fitness testing] to the extent that some players come very prepared compared to others. We can get below the surface and try to get to know the player a little bit better, know the personality, whether they're characteristics we covet or concern us. Those are important things. The physical testing is a little bit harder to quantify in some ways because some guys have access to training all year, some guys have been out of the playoffs for a long time, and some guys are going to come here and their season has just concluded. All the information is helpful, but if I were to value one over the other, it would be the interview process. As far as dinners, we're taking different players out one-on-one that may be in our range, so to speak, where we're picking at this point. We're trying to get to know them.