The Trade Deadline has come and gone. The Montreal Canadiens and Kent Hughes remained inactive, despite rumours indicating they were looking at Kadri, Thomas and apparently Matthew Knies. Some think the Habs missed an opportunity to improve the team long term and keep pace with the other clubs who made significant deadline acquisition such as Buffalo and the Islanders. While picking up a player like Thomas would have been awesome, I expected Hughes to stand pat, and I'm confident he made the right decision.
Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Despite not making any additions at the deadline, Hughes has already significantly improved the team with the additions of Dobson, Texier, Bolduc and Danault. Furthermore, to make all those deals, Hughes did not give up any assets which would have slowed down the rebuild. If there was a deal to be had, Hughes would have made it, and given his amazing track record thus far, I am confident he made the right call. At the end of the day, the Habs are a very good hockey team with a very good nucleus of players who have bought into what St-Louis is selling. If the goaltending had not been so unreliable, the Habs make have 3-5 more wins and would be sitting atop the East.
Also, the prospects that have coming up may well fill the holes on the Habs top 6 and D, so Hughes is really in no rush to make a move which depletes the prospect pool. Hughes just needs to stick to the plan already put in place, and jump on oppoutinites, should they come, like he did with the Dobson and Bolduc deals. I really like how he does not panic, and he has a solid grip of what the Montreal Canadiens are all about, and disrupting the chemistry right now is not the best idea, especially given there current logjam at forward.
Do you all think Hughes made the right choice?
The Habs play the Leafs tonight at 7pm in what should be a very entertaining match up!