Their most recent captain, defenseman Shea Weber,
was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights
on Thursday for forward Evgenii Dadonov. Weber did not play at all this season because of injury issues and it's unclear if he will play again.
"I think I was asked early on when I first took the job if I had thought that there would be a captain in place and, and I do," Hughes said. "It's not something that I'm going to decide on unilaterally. It's something that we're going to talk to the coaching staff about."
Hughes was hired as GM of the Canadiens on Jan. 18, replacing Marc Bergevin, who was fired Nov. 28.
Weber was named the 30th captain in Canadiens history on Oct. 1, 2018. He replaced Max Pacioretty, who was traded to the Golden Knights on Sept. 10, 2018.
Hughes said there have been discussions with other members of Montreal's management about Weber's replacement, taking in consideration the rich history and pressure that comes with being Canadiens captain.
"We had a period of time where we were able to look and evaluate and speak to the players on the team about who was stepping up and who has the leadership qualities and the maturity of take that type of role on in a market like Montreal," Hughes said.
It's unclear which players the Canadiens are considering as captain. Possible candidates could include forwards Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron and Nick Suzuki.
Gallagher has been with Montreal since the 2012-13 season and is its longest-tenured skater; the 30-year-old was an alternate captain this season and is signed through the 2026-27 season. Byron, 33, has played for the Canadiens since the 2015-16 season but can become an unrestricted free agent after next season; Suzuki, 22, was acquired from the Golden Knights in the trade for Pacioretty and is signed through 2029-30.
The longest tenured player on the Canadiens roster is goalie Carey Price, who has been with them since 2007. NHL rule Section 2, 6.1 states, "No playing Coach or playing Manager or goalkeeper shall be permitted to act as Captain or Alternate Captain."
The first captain in Canadiens history was Newsy Lalonde, who held the role from 1917-1922. The list of captains includes all-time NHL greats Toe Blake (1940-48), Bill Durnan (1947-48), Maurice Richard (1956-60), Jean Beliveau (1961-71), Henri Richard (1971-75), Yvan Cournoyer (1975-79), Serge Savard (1979-81), Bob Gainey (1981-89) and Chris Chelios (1989-90).
The Canadiens are one of eight teams without a captain, along with the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and the Seattle Kraken.
