Athletic NHL front-office confidence rankings: Montreal 6th Overall
August 7, 2024
Athletic NHL front-office confidence rankings: Montreal 6th Overall
2 comments
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*Last year: 14th*
*“Slafkovsky’s development and the Demidov pick has completely changed my outlook on the team. A year ago I was mixed on the Gorton/Hughes regime (hated passing on Michkov for Reinbacher) and was very critical of any move I perceived to be wrong. Now I feel silly complaining about anything, feels like this management is building a powerhouse.”*
*“Hughes has done efficient work, although he’ll need to be judged at some point on wins and losses. Once the team enters its competitive window, it will be exciting to see whether the team has the components to win a Cup. Next summer or the summer after will be interesting as he should be able to flex his cap space and acquire some free agents.”*
I’m not sure there’s a more promising rebuild in this league than the one currently being cooked up by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. The team’s fan base certainly views it in extremely high regard, but it is taking some time for the public to catch up.
It’s true that Montreal has done well at the easy part and we haven’t yet seen how it handles the hard stuff. But so far the Canadiens have done an excellent job in almost every facet to position themselves well for when that time comes. The difference between the deals the new regime has signed and the albatross deals left behind by the old guard is night and day. The new ones are all winners, with the two newest deals for [Juraj Slafkovsky](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/juraj-slafkovsky-ISVU6GW6hf9LqD6L/) and [Kaiden Guhle](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/kaiden-guhle-IJyN26cdhaigmJJP/) looking like they could be huge steals at the right time.
Time will tell if Montreal has the elite pieces necessary to win the Cup, but key players taking major leaps last year certainly add more optimism. With Gorton and Hughes in charge, Canadiens fans have every reason to be optimistic about the future. They’re doing things right and they’re doing it at the right pace, too.
2 comments
Hi there! It looks like you’ve posted an image. If this image is from an article, please provide a source. If it’s a meme, please ignore this comment. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Habs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*Last year: 14th*
*“Slafkovsky’s development and the Demidov pick has completely changed my outlook on the team. A year ago I was mixed on the Gorton/Hughes regime (hated passing on Michkov for Reinbacher) and was very critical of any move I perceived to be wrong. Now I feel silly complaining about anything, feels like this management is building a powerhouse.”*
*“Hughes has done efficient work, although he’ll need to be judged at some point on wins and losses. Once the team enters its competitive window, it will be exciting to see whether the team has the components to win a Cup. Next summer or the summer after will be interesting as he should be able to flex his cap space and acquire some free agents.”*
I’m not sure there’s a more promising rebuild in this league than the one currently being cooked up by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. The team’s fan base certainly views it in extremely high regard, but it is taking some time for the public to catch up.
It’s true that Montreal has done well at the easy part and we haven’t yet seen how it handles the hard stuff. But so far the Canadiens have done an excellent job in almost every facet to position themselves well for when that time comes. The difference between the deals the new regime has signed and the albatross deals left behind by the old guard is night and day. The new ones are all winners, with the two newest deals for [Juraj Slafkovsky](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/juraj-slafkovsky-ISVU6GW6hf9LqD6L/) and [Kaiden Guhle](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/kaiden-guhle-IJyN26cdhaigmJJP/) looking like they could be huge steals at the right time.
Montreal took some lumps for its drafting last year after passing on [Matvei Michkov](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/matvei-michkov-BaophE6CdtSghudG/), but things are looking up now that the team has rectified that with [Ivan Demidov](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nhl/player/ivan-demidov-t9NBZNmcKNoYoGsi/). That one pick did a lot of work in shifting the discourse and has allowed the front office’s overarching vision to really come into focus.
Time will tell if Montreal has the elite pieces necessary to win the Cup, but key players taking major leaps last year certainly add more optimism. With Gorton and Hughes in charge, Canadiens fans have every reason to be optimistic about the future. They’re doing things right and they’re doing it at the right pace, too.
[https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5672796/2024/08/06/nhl-front-office-confidence-rankings-2024/](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5672796/2024/08/06/nhl-front-office-confidence-rankings-2024/)