The Canadiens have named their new general manager, and he has a direct connection to Patrice Bergeron.
After a lengthy search, the Habs tabbed Kent Hughes as general manager in Montreal, where he'll work alongside former Boston Bruins executive Jeff Gorton.
Prior to joining Montreal, Hughes was a player agent who represented a handful of high-end players, including Bergeron, the Bruins' captain. There's really nothing to read into beyond the connection itself, other than it means Bergeron, a pending unrestricted free agent this offseason, will need to find new representation.
Furthering the connection to Boston, Hughes is a resident of Westwood, Mass., and his sons are hockey players at Northeastern. Jack Hughes is a freshman who is draft-eligible this summer. Riley Hughes, a junior alternate captain for the Huskies, was selected by the New York Rangers in the seventh round back in 2018. Coincidentally, it was Gorton, then with the Blueshirts, who was responsible for drafting Riley Hughes.
Kent Hughes was the managing director of Quartexx Management, which on its website lists six other NHLPA-certified agents. If Bergeron doesn't want to leave Quartexx, he'll have a wealth of options to choose from even with Hughes gone. Hughes also represented, among others, Kris Letang, Darnell Nurse, Drake Batherson, Anton Khudobin and Anthony Beauvillier.
The Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final last season, but have been one of the NHL's worst teams this campaign.
