Kent Hughes has sunk the Oilers until 2030, and it's significant

He really listens to the players and is a skilled negotiator. With his career as a player agent, there were doubts about his ability to work on the other side, but now, there are no doubts left.

Just before becoming the GM of the Canadiens, Hughes made someone very happy, and it sank the Edmonton Oilers.

Indeed, defenseman Darnell Nurse, who was so promising, signed an eight-year deal worth $9.25 million annually, ending in 2030.

This deal has aged very poorly for the Oilers, as Nurse has only gotten worse year by year.

He was touted as the team's next quarterback, but currently, he plays less than the much-maligned Cody Ceci, averaging 19 minutes per game with only 3 points in 16 games.

Clearly, he is not helping the Oilers in their quest for the first Stanley Cup in Canada since 1993.

With Leon Draisaitl needing to be signed next year and Connor McDavid the year after, this contract will hurt the Oilers greatly.

The icing on the cake is that Nurse has a no-movement clause. You could say Kent Hughes managed to offer him the moon at the best moment of his career.

Now that he has to sign players and adhere to the salary cap, the general manager must do the opposite, evaluating players' value downward to sign them for as low as possible. It's fair to say he succeeded with his first major contract offered to Cole Caufield.