Hughes: ‘We have a group of guys that are playing for each other; that's the most impressive thing I see’

BROSSARD – The Canadiens are just past the midway point of the 2025-26 season, sitting near the top of the very tight Eastern Conference standings. And while there’s much to celebrate about Montreal’s campaign so far, Kent Hughes knows there’s plenty of work still to be done, and he’ll have many decisions to make that will have an impact on the team’s shorter- and longer-term success.

The Habs’ general manager met the media on Tuesday at the CN Sports Complex for his mid-season review to give his assessment of his team and where it’s going.

Please note that questions and answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

On carrying three goalies on the roster and what comes next:

Having three goalies isn’t ideal. But, I wouldn’t expect a change in the next 24 hours. In any case, we’re playing five games in seven days. So, we’re not worried about whether the goalies will see enough action, but ideally we won’t have three goalies long-term. I think the goalies who play the best will play the most.

We were never worried that Samuel Montembeault lost his ability to play goalie. He just had a bad stretch, and we’re happy and confident that he’s regained his form.

On what has improved and impressed him most on the team:

If I wanted to be really specific, I would say the way we defend in the neutral zone. Much more that than the defensive zone, because I think there was more effort on that last year.

The resilience, confidence. [...] What we have going on here is that you have a group of guys that are playing for each other. You see it every day. They're excited. In the world of professional sports, we're in a team sport, but there always is the risk of individualism coming in because it's a career and the success of one may cost you ice time and ultimately your ability to earn over your career. So, there is a delicate balance I find in team sports and right now, that's probably the most impressive thing I see from our group.

On what needs the most work:

I think that changes from week to week, from month to month. [...] We’re seeing a maturity on the team, in the decisions the players are making. It’s probably that more than the rest. It’s not necessarily the system; it’s the maturity of reading the game and making decisions based on where we are in the game.

On his strategy for making trades leading up to the deadline:

It's going to come down to who's available at what cost. And if we're acquiring a more experienced player that can help us in the here and now, more so than in the future, what kind of commitment are we making to that player?

I think all of those factors – how are we playing? What's going on elsewhere? I think all of those will be factors, and the longer we can wait to make that decision, the better off we are unless something arrives between now and then that's just too good to turn down.

Do I see another type of move (similar to the ones made to acquire Alexandre Carrier, Noah Dobson, and Phillip Danault)? Possibly, yeah. But at what cost?

On Juraj Slafkovsky moving from the first line to the second and on his progression this year:

There has to be a certain aspect where Slaf, playing with two young players, feels like the veteran. And, with that comes a certain thinking that it’s his responsibility to guide them. But Slaf has also worked a lot on his individual game. What we’re seeing from him is that he’s playing a lot more quickly. I heard the comments from Martin, who was saying that the game is slowing down for him. Mentally, yes. But I find it’s because he’s skating a lot more. [...] We’re very happy with his progression. Very, very happy.