Saturday Habs Headlines: Kent Hughes discusses the Gleb Pugachyov pick
In today’s links, the GM on his new prospect, the trade environment, grading the Pugachyov pick, the pre-season schedule, Cournoyer named to Order of Canada, Gavin McKenna goes first overall, and trade news and rumours from the draft.
Kent Hughes likes the hockey sense of versatility of Gleb Pugachyov. [La Presse]
The war room reaction to officially making the Pugachyov pick. [Journal de Montreal]
Scott Wheeler doesn’t see the top-six upside in Pugachyov. [The Athletic]
Corey Pronman gives the Pugachyov pick an A grade. [The Athletic]
“The further we get into our rebuild, the more the trades we make have to be the right ones,” Hughes said before the draft got under way. [Journal de Montreal]
Hughes believes having all the GMs in one place makes draft-day deals easier to complete, and wishes the NHL still had the in-person format. [La Presse]
The Canadiens’ pre-season schedule ahead of the new 84-game regular season was released, with just three dates of action, with split-squad sets versus the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. [Canadiens.com]
Yvan Cournoyer has been named to the Order of Canada. [Radio-Canada]
Some of the top moments from Cournoyer’s career from the Radio-Canada archives. [Radio-Canada]
Around the league and elsewhere
Gavin McKenna was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs. [NHL.com]
The San Jose Sharks came away as the biggest winner of the first round. [Sportsnet]
The Winnipeg Jets are listening to trade offers for Connor Hellebuyck. [NHL.com]
The St. Louis Blues acquired Mason McTavish for two 2026 first-round picks. [NHL.com]
Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers. [NHL.com]
The Detroit Red Wings traded goaltender Sebastian Cossa to the Utah Mammoth to get a first-round pick. [TSN]
Utah traded JJ Peterka to the Boston Bruins. [TSN]
The Los Angeles Kings signed Brandt Clarke to a five-year contract extension. [TSN]
Drew Doughty’s contract won’t be extended by the Kings when he becomes eligible on July 1 ahead of his final year. [Sportsnet]
Jason Robertson’s decision on the Seattle Kraken trade was less a rejection of a lucrative contract offer and more a rejection of the direction of the Kraken organization. [La Presse]
Seth Jarvis underwent shoulder surgery and will need four to six months of recovery. [NHL.com]
Bill Guerin was named the NHL’s general manager of the year. [NHL.com]
