With Lane Hutson Signed, Attention Turns to Kent Hughes' Next Big Negotiation
While Lane Hutson's contract extension was just made official earlier Monday morning, attention is already turning toward the next major issue for the Montreal Canadiens.
According to several observers, everything indicates that Kent Hughes will soon have another important negotiation on his hands.
After signing the young star defenseman, the GM (and the fans) of the Habs can now breathe a little easier - but not for long.
Because as soon as the 2026-2027 season, several key players in the organization will reach the end of their contracts, and some names may give him new headaches.
Among the unrestricted free agents will be, among others, Patrik Laine and Mike Matheson. However, I must admit that I really expect the Habs to let Laine go... especially after Marc-Olivier Beaudoin's comments.
"Patrik Laine won't be signing a contract extension with the team, despite some rumors we've read about it. He's playing on the fourth line with a bit of time on the second power-play unit. Zero conditions to optimize his usage. The organization seems to have already moved on from this matter."
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
- Marc-Olivier Beaudoin
But it's on the restricted free agent side that things get trickier, with Kirby Dach, Joe Veleno, Arber Xhekaj, Joshua Roy, and especially Zachary Bolduc, who could become the next major priority for Kent Hughes.
Toward a new contract for Zachary Bolduc?
Bolduc is having an excellent start to the season and is proving that he's much more than just an offensive prospect with potential.
His current pace shows that he's a player capable of scoring 25 to 30 goals per season.
As Renaud Lavoie mentioned on BPM Sports, he doesn't believe that any discussions have yet started between Pat Brisson, Bolduc's agent, and Kent Hughes.
"I don't think it's started at all," he said, while specifying that the matter will start moving sooner rather than later.
An analysis echoed by DansLesCoulisses, which highlights that the young Quebec forward is already attracting attention thanks to his efficiency and consistency since the start of the season.
I personally believe that if Bolduc maintains this pace (or something close to it), he could force Hughes's hand sooner than expected.
And knowing the Canadiens' GM, he'll want to get the matter settled sooner rather than later.
And if Lane Hutson just landed a $70.8 million contract, Zachary Bolduc might very well be the next one to make a big impact at the negotiation table.
Previously on All Montreal Hockey
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 14 | 597 ANSWERS With Lane Hutson Signed, Attention Turns to Kent Hughes' Next Big Negotiation Do you think Zachary Bolduc already deserves a long-term contract extension? | ||
| Yes | 405 | 67.8 % |
| No | 192 | 32.2 % |
| List of polls | ||