Quotes of the day: Hughes & Lecavalier

BROSSARD - Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes and special advisor to hockey operations Vincent Lecavalier addressed the media at the Bell Sports Complex following the NHL's trade deadline on Monday.
The press conference happened after the Canadiens made three trades on deadline day. First, Montreal sent forward Artturi Lehkonen to the Colorado Avalanche in return for defenseman Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick. Then, the Habs dealt goaltender Andrew Hammond to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Nate Schnarr. And finally, the Canadiens traded defenseman Brett Kulak to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman William Lagesson, a conditional second-round pick in 2022, and a seventh-round selection in 2024.

Here are some highlights from the Hughes and Lecavalier pressers:
Hughes on trading Artturi Lehkonen:
"It wasn't an easy trade to make -- not only for management, but also for the team. We received a prospect who is a right-handed defenseman, which is what we need, and a second-round pick. So, we think the return made the trade worthwhile."

Hughes on whether Justin Barron will play in the AHL or the NHL:
"He will probably play a bit of both, but the goal is to prioritize his development. So, if he comes to Montreal and we think he needs more time in the AHL, we will send him back. And we are definitely keen on having him play in Laval during the playoffs as well."
Hughes on whether he was surprised by today's seller's market:
"Yes, quite a bit, to a certain extent. I think I mentioned during Ben Chiarot's press conference that we didn't necessarily want to trade players and that we weren't active. We didn't make any calls for Lehkonen or Kulak, but we received calls, and the trade offers got better and better, and in the end, we made our decision."

Hughes on the impact of Schnarr and Barron's relationships with Nick Suzuki and Kaiden Guhle:
"For sure, I think that, from the start, during my first couple of press conferences, I spoke a lot about character. Their relationship with some of our players could matter because it allows us to at least do our homework on players and their character. Jeff [Gorton] knows Justin's family because his brother, Morgan, was in New York. So, we were very comfortable with Justin's character."
Hughes on what Barron brings to the ice:
"He's a big guy and a good skater. […] I always said skating would be important, but I think it's even more important given the way we're playing right now, and we believe that he's not only a good prospect, but he's also a good fit for us."
Hughes on whether trading Andrew Hammond is a sign that Carey Price is closer to a return to play:
"It's part of the decision, but the other side is that we believe Andrew Hammond deserved, at this point in his career, to have the chance to continue to play in the NHL. And, when we received the opportunity to give him that chance, we accepted it."
Hughes on whether contract negotiations took place with Lehkonen:
"Since he was eligible for arbitration, we were taking a look at the value of his contact. We weren't in a rush to negotiate a contract with him because he wasn't going anywhere [at the time], but we certainly looked at it from a financial perspective in terms of a one-year or multi-year contract […] Like I mentioned many times, if the offer was one we could not refuse, we would accept. If not, the plan was to keep him. Until noon or 1:00 p.m. today, the plan was to keep him."
Hughes on the importance of acquiring a right-handed defenseman:
"It's important for us. If we take a look, we didn't have many in the pipeline; we have more left-handed defensemen. And, if we can trade Jeff [Petry], we would do it in the summer. But he's another right-handed defenseman who would be leaving, so it was important for us. We have certain needs, and we would like to add or improve on some positions in the organization, and right-handed defensemen are certainly one of them."
Lecavalier on whether he's had a chance to see Tyler Smilanic, Justin Barron, and other prospects play:
"I haven't had the chance to see all the players acquired at the trade deadline, but I was able to see Barron play a bit. A guy like Barron, who's 20 years old and shoots right, is obviously very much in demand. Big, right-shooting defensemen are in demand all over the NHL, so to get him is very good for the future for the Canadiens."

Lecavalier on starting work in Montreal:
"I've really liked my first 24 hours and before that, it was a lot of talking with Kent. But, I didn't have the feel... I wasn't here, I wasn't in the room with Kent, Jeff, and everyone. I've certainly liked what I've been doing since I started six weeks ago, to help a team become better. Thinking about the future of a team, I had never done that before. I was a player and if I was playing with Martin or another guy, that's who I played with and that's the team I played with. But now, I have to think about the future to ensure the team is good in the long term and talk to the person who's making the decisions. I'm giving it my best, to the best of my knowledge and I hope it can help his decisions."
Lecavalier on whether he thought Martin St-Louis would make a good coach someday:
"Yes. Sometimes you talk to a coach, and you can think in your head: 'You've never been in my situation,' right? But I don't think any player can do that with Marty. I've always known Marty was going to be a coach because he was kind of a coach with me. What he brought as far as culture... I don't want to say he was a second coach, because he was a player. But, he was so good to me and to all the guys to help make us better. I'm really not surprised about where he is right now; I'm not surprised by the success he's having right now and how the guys are reacting to how he is. I know this team is going to get better and better, more confident every day, because you want to play for a guy like Marty. That human side that he has... I think he's going to bring the best out of everybody and he's going to change that culture. Once you bring in coaches like that, you bring in players with the right mindset and that's why you have success."