Kent Hughes, Canadiens general manager, loves to make big moves on draft day. This time it didnโt happen.
It wasnโt for lack of trying, but he ended his evening having failed to improve on his short-term training in the transaction market. However, the organization has added the player to its prospect bank. To do this, she went to Russia for the third year in a row with her first selection. At 26 years olde rank, CH targeted striker Gleb Pugachev.
To get it, the club first went through two levels, giving up its own first-round pick (28e) and a third-round draft pick in 2027 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Thus, Pugachev replaced Alexander Zharovsky (34e in 2025) and Ivan Demidov (5e in 2024) in this decidedly Russian part of the House.
This 6ft 3in giant, born in Kazakhstan but identified as a Russian, is praised for his toughness. He will also weigh โover 200 pounds,โ according to Hughes, with estimates ranging between 198 pounds and 224 pounds assigned to him by various sources.
Ranked ninth in the NHL Central Scoutingโs international skater rankings, he spent most of last season in the MHL, Russiaโs junior championship, scoring 24 points in 33 games. He also played 15 games in the VHL, the equivalent of the American League, and another 13 games in the KHL for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. The Habs CEO did not comment on the terms of the contract binding him to Torpedo, but TVA Sports indicated that he has a two-year agreement in his pocket.
SN obviously had great respect for Gleb Pugachev and tried to advance several times during the evening, but to no avail. Kent Hughes said Martin Lapointe, co-director of amateur recruiting with Nick Bobrov, was the most excited person in the room when the young manโs selection was confirmed.
โMartin likes strong players,โ the coach said with a smile, also praising his new protรฉgรฉโs sense of play and versatility. Despite his modest offensive production in the pro ranks due to limited usage given his young age, Hughes believes he is closer to the NHL than he appears, largely due to his physical maturity.
When asked to compare Pugachev with a current tour player, the grandmaster repeated an old joke, recalling that all young players compare themselves to Hall of Famers before being drafted. However, he added, somewhat lip service, that his recruiters are โtalking about a guy like Tom Wilson.โ
As a late first-round pick, in the zone of the Philip Mesards, Ryan Poehlings and the rest of the Nikita Shcherbaks of this world, weโll know heโs not lost in the accolades.
Patience
Kent Hughes was noncommittal when asked whether he planned to make a choice Friday night.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Kent Hughes
In fact, he made no secret of the fact that he was very active in hopes of making one or more deals to help his team from falling. However, in recent days we have seen the prices of influential players rise. First-round picks in particular were handed out like candy.
On Friday alone, Pavel Dorofeev (Vegas to New York), Mason McTavish (Anaheim to St. Louis) and JJ Peterka (Utah to Boston) each received two first-round picks, while the Detroit Red Wings received one in exchange for goaltender Sebastian Cossa, who went to Utah.
The weakness of unrestricted free agents this year and fewer rebuilding teams than in the past have had a direct impact on the trade market, Hughes said. As a result, many teams โdecided to listen moreโ to players they may not have intended to trade. However, the prices set were very high.
The fact that the Canadian has moved from seller to buyer also changes the position of power in the negotiations, as well as their duration, the administrator further noted. Summer is still young, he cautioned: โWeโre keeping an open mind. That doesnโt mean there wonโt be deals in July, August or Septemberโฆโ
His clubโs overall health also marks a change from last offseason. We are no longer looking to simply โadd talent,โ but rather to meet specific needs. So weโre targeting players who arenโt necessarily available. This gives rise to a lot of the โtalkโ that Hughes talks about, although it doesnโt necessarily bear fruit โ which is still happening.
As Jeff Gorton, president of hockey operations, said yesterday, some of Montrealโs top prospects are in demand and management wonโt trade them without a clear idea of โโa good deal. We will also not seek to compete with the solutions of division competitors who are polishing their weapons.
โWe are going to explore something, but we are not going to make deals just for the sake of making them,โ summarized Kent Hughes. But if we can do something that will help us now and for the long term, we will not be embarrassed. ยป
And even if long hours on the phone have not yet brought results, โI will not stop calling,โ he promised.