Trade between the Canadiens and the Hurricanes: it's confirmed for Kent Hughes and the problem is the owner

To begin with, I don't want to suggest that there's a conflict between the two organizations, since Martin Necas ultimately wasn't traded to anyone.

It could be that the Hurricanes' demands were too high or that no team wanted him, but I highly doubt that.

Since the hostile offers involving Sebastian Aho and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, there had been tension between the two organizations, but it seemed to stem more from the team's owner than from the general manager.

The evidence is that Kent Hughes has just made a deal with Don Waddell, who was the GM of the Canes in recent years, and it went very well.

So much so that Kent Hughes praised his counterpart, even stating that he did him a favor by allowing him to speak with Patrik Laine before the trade.

We now have confirmation that there is no tension between Don Waddell and the Canadiens, which is a good thing. We don't have confirmation that there is no longer tension between the Hurricanes and the Canadiens, but we know that Tom Dundon, the owner, has a long memory.

Time will tell if the conflict persists, but at some point, the past needs to be left behind. The management of the Canadiens has changed, and so has that of the Hurricanes. If their owner continues to block opportunities over an issue that dates back several years, it will undoubtedly be detrimental to their team.