Trade completed between the Oilers and the Habs: A steal by Hughes

In fact, there's only one trade that reflects a bit poorly on the GM, and that's the one sending Artturi Lehkonen to the Avalanche for Justin Barron and a draft pick. However, the towel hasn't been thrown in on young Barron yet, who has promising potential.

One of Hughes' first moves was to send Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers. This trade brought significant returns for the Canadiens.

That second-round pick turned into none other than Lane Hutson, who some say should have been a top-five overall pick. That's already quite a steal, but there's more.

Kulak has been making costly mistakes in Edmonton. Now in the third round against the Dallas Stars, Kulak made a very costly turnover that could have resulted in a loss for his team.

Fortunately for him, the Oilers won in overtime.

All this to say that Kent Hughes pulled off quite a heist, but it was a team effort that completed it. The vision of the Canadiens' scouts in selecting Hutson with that pick was a significant help.

In any case, the Canadiens have a gem in their ranks with the young defenseman. Imagine if he were in Edmonton instead of Montreal, playing alongside Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid!