Hall Of Fame Flyers Goalie Bernie Parent Passes Away At 80
Legendary Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Bernie Parent has passed away at the age of 80. He was the first starting goaltender in Flyers history, and went on to accumulate one of the most decorated careers in NHL history. His accolades included back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, two Vezina Trophies, and two Conn Smyth ‘Playoff MVP’ trophies. He was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1984, alongside Jacques Lemaire and Phil Esposito.
Parent’s prolific pro career didn’t began in Philadelphia. Instead, he joined the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins in 1965 – and posted a disappointing .898 save percentage in 39 games of his rookie season. That poor showing pushed him to a backup role in 1966, and prompted Boston to leave Parent unprotected in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft.
That decision set up Philadelphia to make what ended up a franchise-defining pick. They leaned on Parent in their first season of operations and he quickly proved worth the trust. He posted a .926 save percentage – fourth-best in the NHL – in his first 38 games as a Flyer, despite the team slipping to a 15-17-5 record when he was in net. Parent matched that performance with a .925 Sv% in 58 games the following year, and a .921 Sv% in 62 games the year after that. It was a phenomenal start to his time with the Flyers, though the team followed it up with the questionable decision to trade their star starting goaltender to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1971. In return, the Flyers landed a top-10 draft pick (used on Pierre Plante), backup goaltender Bruce Gamble, and middle-six center Mike Walton, who they flipped to the Boston Bruins.
The trade marked an interesting lull in Parent’s career. He spent two years with the Maple Leafs, recording a .915 Sv% through 65 total games, then spent one year with Philadelphia’s WHA club during the 1972-73 season – one of multiple NHL superstars who made the surprising change in leagues. On the other side of that decision, Parent decided to return to the Flyers for the 1973-74 season.
He returned to a club much stronger than the one he left behind. The club had earned the nickname “Broad Street Bullies” in the year prior, thanks to the aggressive and physical play of club legends Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz, and Andre Dupont – to name a few. With the addition of Parent, the Flyers added a star goalie to that bruising bunch. That proved to be their missing piece, and the Flyers blazed to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins while leaning heavily on Parent. He posted a .932 Sv% through 73 games of the 1973-74 season, then returned for a .918 Sv% in 68 games of the 1974-75 campaign. In that mix, Parent also managed an incredible .933 Sv% in 17 playoff games in 1974; and a .924 Sv% in 15 playoff games in 1975. Both performances earned him MVP-recognition when Philadelphia went to lift their first, and only, Cup wins in franchise history.
Unfortunately, Parent’s career would peak with those seasons. He missed all but 11 games of the 1975-76 campaign due to a pinched nerve in his neck that required surgery. He’d recover well enough to suit up for 61 games in 1976-77, though his .899 Sv% showed sign for concern. He bounced back with a .912 in 49 games the next year, and maintained a handle on the starter’s net in 1978-79. But Parent’s career would come to a sudden, and tragic, end in 1979 when a stick got through the eyehole of his mask – causing hospitalization, temporary loss of sight, and permanent vision damage. He retired at the age of 34, and his injury would spark a league-wide shift to modern goalie helmets soon after.
Parent’s impact on Philadelphia hockey continued well after the end of his playing days. He served as the team’s goaltending coach through three scattered seasons, and mentored future Vezina Trophy-winners Ron Hextall and Pelle Lindbergh. His coaching career didn’t last for very long, but Parent stuck around the organization as an ‘Ambassador of Hockey’ through the 2024-25 season.
Chants of “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie” echoed through The Spectrum at Parent’s peak, and continued to ring loud at every fan event he attended, even late in life. He was truly a legend of the sport, and perhaps thee defining piece in Philadelphia’s first few years in the league. He played through historic NHL moments, like the 1975 ‘Fog Game’ against the Buffalo Sabres. For a time after his career, he would live on a yacht he named ‘The French Connection’, after the legendary Sabres line he faced in that very game. That humor, his warm spirit, and his championing of sobriety and dedication will be remembered through the Flyers family.
Snapshots: Capitals, Schmidt, Buium, Celebrini
Training camp updates are rolling in as many teams approach their first round of cuts. The most pertinent updates came for the Washington ahead of an early-morning scrimmage. Superstar Alex Ovechkin didn’t take the ice with the team as he continues to face a day-to-day, lower-body injury per Sammi Silber of The Hockey News. Silber also reported that forward Justin Sourdif and defenseman Martin Fehervary continue to not take contact during practice, and thus didn’t take part in Washington’s scrimmage.
None of Washington’s updates are cause for much concern. Ovechkin is expected to continue progressing towards a return, and be held out of action as a precaution. Ovechkin will return to his perennial role on top of Washington’s lineup when the regular season kicks off. Fehervary is also still on an expected track, continuing to work his way back from a torn meniscus suffered late last season. He underwent surgery on the knee during the off-season, but has since been unable to kick minor inflammation. Once that goes down, he’ll return to a solid role in Washington’s daily lineup. Sourdif was facing illness, and should work back to full speed after taking a few laps with the non-playing group on Sunday.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Utah Mammoth defenseman Nate Schmidt was absent from the team’s Saturday practice. He was designated as day-to-day due to maintenance by head coach Andre Tourigny, per Cole Bagley of KSL Sports. That designation makes Schmidt’s availability over the next few days difficult, though it doesn’t seem the Mammoth are concerned about the long-term availability of their summer signing. Schmidt played a bottom-pair role on the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers last season, working his way up to 19 points in 80 games. He’ll likely fill a similar role in Utah, though brings the experience of a 741-game veteran and one-time Cup-winner to the NHL’s newest club.
- Continuing the list of absences was top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium, who missed his third-consecutive practice on Sunday per Michael Russo of The Athletic. Russo pointed out that Buium did skate with Jonas Brodin before practice started. Again, Buium’s ailment isn’t expected to be a serious issue, head coach John Hynes told Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Buium will be pushing for a starring role on the Wild roster this season, after playing the first four games of his NHL career in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. He recorded one assist and four penalty minutes in those outings. An extended absence will make a run to the NHL a bit tougher, but the one-time NCAA National Champion should have no problem convincing the Wild brass when he’s back to full health.
- In a positive swing, San Jose Sharks star centerman Macklin Celebrini returned to the team’s practices after missing multiple days to illness, per Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. Celebrini won’t take part in San Jose’s first preseason game, though he’ll otherwise be fully on track to return to the role of San Jose’s top forward when the season kicks off. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games as a rookie last season, marking a franchise record in San Jose.
Kings’ Angus Booth, Corey Perry To Miss Several Months With Injury
The Los Angeles Kings will be faced with a pair of long-term injuries out of the gates this season. Depth defenseman Angus Booth is expected to miss “several months” with a lower-body injury per John Hoven and Mayors Manor. Hoven specified that Booth’s timeline will be similar to winger Corey Perry, who underwent knee surgery earlier in the month to address an injury sustained in a late-summer practice.
Perry’s injury will have the most direct effect on the Kings’ lineup. The 40-year-old, soon-to-be Hall-Of-Fame hopeful signed a one-year, $2MM contract with the Kings this summer. He seemed well set to fill an important veteran role in the team’s middle-six, after posting a productive 19 goals and 30 points in 81 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season. Perry also scored 14 points while playing in all 22 games of Edmonton’s run to a Stanley Cup Finals loss. Now, it seems his durability has run slim. It will be a long while before Perry breaks into the Kings’ lineup. When he does, there’s no telling how the aged winger will adjust after another significant lower-body injury.
Booth won’t leave an NHL role in his absence, though his injury will dampen his chances to jump into Los Angeles’ seventh-defender role. He played through his first pro season last year, netting 13 points and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. It was a stout year where Booth’s defense-first style seemed to shine. He was a long-shot to break camp with the Kings this season, but could have rivaled players like Samuel Bolduc and Jacob Moverare for a depth role. Instead, he’ll have to wait until closer to the end of the calendar year to earn his chance. Booth should be expected to return to Ontario’s rotation when he’s back to full health.
Snapshots: Ullmark, Buium, Sturm, Grzelcyk
Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is ready to enter the year with a high bar. He was heavily critical of his performances through the first two days of training camp, describing them as “terrible” to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Head coach Travis Green wasn’t as harsh, telling Garioch that he thought Ullmark was fine through both days, and only being hard on himself.
While harsh words could be a sign of poor confidence, the Senators have to be encouraged by signs of a high bar from their star netminder. Ullmark posted a career-low .910 save percentage through 44 games last season, his first in Ottawa. That mark still ranked as the seventh-highest in the NHL, but was well below Ullmark’s career-long .917 save percentage. The Senators pay Ullmark a lofty $8.25MM cap hit, beginning this season. That will make finding a path back to elite performance a must for the 32-year-old netminder, and former Vezina Trophy winner.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium sustained an upper-body injury during the team’s Thursday practice, and missed Friday’s practice as a result, per Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Nico Sturm was also absent for a designated maintenance day. McLellan adds that head coach John Hynes wasn’t concerned about Buium’s injury. That’s good news for Buium, who is looking to make the NHL roster in his first NHL training camp. He was a prolific collegiate defensemen – netting 24 goals, 98 points, one conference championship, and one national championship in 83 games and two seasons with the University of Denver. Buium was a main cog in the Pioneeers’ offense, and will now look to use that instinct to impress Minnesota’s coaching staff. Per this update, he’ll get back to doing just that within the next few days.
- Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill shed some more light on the team’s plans for Matt Grzelcyk’s professional try-out. He told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times that Grzelcyk will likely only get a contract if one of the team’s young defensemen doesn’t look NHL-ready out of camp. Chicago will roll out the carpet for Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Kevin Korchinski at training camp. All three are high-upside defenders, each boasting their own reasons for excitement next season. But Rinzel hasn’t yet played through an extended run in the NHL, and Korchinski has proven shaky in past opportunities. It’s still hard to bet against either player, but Chicago made sure to hedge their bets with an NHL veteran coming off a 40-point season. Grzelcyk has played through nine NHL seasons and 527 games – and should be stout depth should the Hawks need to let one of their youngsters simmer a little while longer.
Western Notes: Sharks, Celebrini, Landeskog
The Sharks were also without right-winger Patrick Giles and defenseman Lucas Carlsson due to injury. Giles (lower-body) is still recovering from an offseason surgery that is expected to hold him out week-to-week, while Carlsson (lower-body) is day-to-day, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. Both players are returning to the Sharks organization this season. Giles played eight games in both the NHL and AHL, before getting shut down by his injury. He scored four goals with the Barracuda and one goal with the Sharks. Carlsson stuck around a bit more – scoring 23 points in 45 games with the Barracuda, and four points in 13 games with the Sharks. It was the second-longest stint he’s had in the NHL, behind the 40 games he played with the Florida Panthers in the 2021-22 campaign. Both players will fight for top-end roles in the AHL when they’re back to full health.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- Star San Jose Sharks centerman Macklin Celebrini missed practice on Friday due to illness, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. It was Celebrini’s second absence, after his illness was initially revealed on Thursday. There seems to be no concerns over his ability to play through the preseason, which will keep the second-year pro on track to return to a major role in the Sharks offense. Celebrini scored 63 points in 70 games last season – setting San Jose’s franchise record for the highest-scoring rookie season.
- Colorado Avalanche fans shouldn’t expect to see captain Gabriel Landeskog on the practice sheet tomorrow. Head coach Jared Bednar told the media that Landeskog will have a scheduled day-off, per Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports. It’s a sensible plan as the 32-year-old continues to work his way back from a long-term, lower-body injury. He played his first games since 2022 back in April, racking up four points in five postseason appearances. The 2025-26 season will mark Landeskog’s first chance to make a return that will stick and, hopefully, rack up strong scoring to boot. In his three most recent regular season appearances, Landeskog scored 59 points in 51 games; 52 points in 54 games; and 44 points in 54 games respectively. That level of lofty playmaking could prove to be an X-factor for Colorado.
Who Will Be The NHL’s First $20MM Player?
After Kirill Kaprizov reportedly declined an offer of $16MM a season on a long-term deal, fans across the NHL discussed who would be the first player in NHL history to earn $20MM annually on a contract. The NHL’s revenue is increasing rapidly, thanks to rising television income, betting revenue, and overall global expansion, all pushing hockey-related revenue higher. With this growth, teams are more than willing to pay their star players, who drive much of the growth teams are seeing in local ticket sales, sponsorships, and, most importantly, the game on the ice.
With rising revenues, fans are curious about what kind of AAV Connor McDavid could secure if he chooses to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. McDavid will be a free agent on July 1st next year, although he might not be the first to reach that milestone, even though he will be eligible to sign a deal exceeding that figure.
With the NHL salary cap rising to $104MM for the 2026-27 season, McDavid could sign a deal worth 20% of the total cap, which would amount to $20.8MM annually. However, based on his previous contract, it seems unlikely McDavid would do that, as it would leave the Oilers even more constrained by the cap than they already are. Earlier this summer, it was reported that McDavid would sign an extension of unspecified length, with an AAV of around $16MM. This would be similar to McDavid’s previous extension, signed in 2017 for $12.5MM per season, which was 15.72% of the salary cap at that time. If that $16MM AAV applies to McDavid’s next contract, it would represent roughly the same percentage of the salary cap ceiling as his 2017 extension.
Some folks in hockey circles argue that McDavid should be the first player to surpass the $20MM mark, and they might be right. However, it would be tough to build a team if he consumes that much of the salary cap. People used to argue the same whenever Sidney Crosby accepted less money than he was worth, but Crosby’s three Stanley Cup wins likely justified the money he left on the table. McDavid is an interesting case because he already left money on the table last time and has no championships to show for it. He may be willing to do it again as he nears his 30s, knowing that many of the game’s greatest players—like Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, and Jaromir Jagr—never won a Stanley Cup after turning 30. McDavid may not be able to carry flawed teams to the Stanley Cup Finals if he’s in his 30s and taking up 20% of the salary cap, and that will have to influence his decision on his next contract.
The next batch of potential $20MM players expected to hit the free agent market next July includes the aforementioned McDavid & Kaprizov, as well as Jack Eichel. This occurs during a period when the NHL salary cap is set to rise by nearly 30% over three years. While this is excellent news for these forwards, it likely won’t come with a $20MM AAV. Kaprizov is reportedly trying to get as close as possible to that figure after rejecting a long-term deal worth $16MM per season. Although high, that number is expected to become typical among the NHL’s top players, with many stars poised to sign deals above $15MM annually.
Eichel has developed into a top-line, two-way center with high-end offensive skills but also elite defensive metrics. He is the most complete player outside of McDavid who could be available next summer, but it is expected that he will sign a long-term extension in Vegas soon, which should be around $13MM-$14MM annually.
What about the summer of 2027? Are there any potential candidates to earn $20MM annually? The short answer is one, possibly two: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Vancouver Canucks defender Quinn Hughes. Makar has been a Norris Trophy finalist for five consecutive seasons and is a two-time winner of the award. He has exceeded 80 points in three of his last four seasons and 90 points in each of the previous two seasons. He is an offensive powerhouse that any team in the league would want, and with a $113.5MM salary cap forecast for the 2027-28 season, he might receive a $20MM offer.
Hughes is also a former Norris Trophy winner, securing the award during the 2023-24 season. He was a finalist last season but doesn’t have the same résumé as Makar and is therefore less likely than him to reach the $20MM mark. Two more seasons of Norris-calibre play would go a long way toward securing that kind of money on a long-term deal, but at this stage, he would be a bit of a long shot to hit $20MM annually.
Auston Matthews is another possible candidate to be the first player to earn $20MM annually, but he faces several hurdles. For one, someone might have signed an extension before Matthews became a free agent. Additionally, Matthews will be 31 when his next contract begins, and it’s uncertain what his game will look like then. There’s also a chance that Matthews’ performance could decline in the coming years, and he may not be able to produce the same numbers he’s used to. Time is working against Matthews in this scenario, and given all of this, he’s probably not going to be the first player to reach $20MM annually.
Finally, some of the top young draft picks have entered the NHL. Connor Bedard is a year away from becoming an RFA, and his performance this upcoming season could reveal a lot about the extension he signs, if he doesn’t sign one before the season begins. If he signs now, he’d likely secure a deal around $10MM annually. However, if he erupts into a 100+ point player, as many expect, he might push closer to a $12MM to $15MM long-term deal. In any case, he isn’t going to sign for $20MM this time, and even if he takes a two- or three-year bridge deal, he probably won’t be the first player to hit that $20MM milestone.
Now that we’ve discussed some of the players who could be the first, we must consider whether it will happen anytime soon. The NHL has a culture of spreading money across the roster, and few teams are willing to go top-heavy because it affects their depth. The Toronto Maple Leafs tried the top-heavy approach for the past decade, and it hasn’t worked out as they hoped. Even Chicago had to adopt it eventually, with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews earning $10.5MM annually, marking the start of the end for their mini-dynasty. Teams are also reluctant to allocate 20% of their salary cap to a single player, which suggests we might need a much higher cap before a player reaches $20MM annually.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this develops. The NHL has never fully embraced the supermax era that other leagues have adopted, and NHL players have seldom sought the maximum salary for various reasons. The NHL was also uniquely positioned because its top star for 20 years, Crosby, never signed a market-value contract, which makes one wonder if that influenced other stars to accept lower numbers. Crosby is obviously nearing the end of his career and is no longer the top player in the league, opening the door for top talents to claim every dollar they can get. Time will tell if they do.
Photos by Nick Wosika-Imagn Images & Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oilers Targeting November Return For Zach Hyman
Top Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman will need just a bit longer to recover from the wrist fracture he sustained in the 2025 Western Conference Finals. In speaking with reporters ahead of training camp on Thursday, head coach Kris Knoblauch shared that Hyman’s goal will be to return by November 1st, per TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. That will set Hyman up to miss the first 12 games of the Oilers’ season. The high-scoring winger spoke more in-depth about his injury during an extended press conference this morning.
An extended absence is no way to start a season, especially for Hyman – who hasn’t played fewer than 73 games in a single season in any of his four years with the Edmonton Oilers. He has been a pillar of lineup consistency and averaged over 19:30 in ice time through 308 games with the Oilers. He’s averaged a lofty 38 goals per 82 games played with Edmonton, leaving the Oilers with a major hole to fill right out of the gate.
Who will step up will become the question to be answered at training camp. Top Oilers prospects Matthew Savoie and Ike Howard seem poised to break camp with the team, but their readiness to fill a top-line role has yet to be proven. Superstar centers Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could mitigate those concerns – and give the reigning Hobey Baker Award-winner, Howard, and the second-highest Bakersfield Condors scorer, Savoie, a chance to show their full potential.
If not one of their top prospects, Edmonton could also turn towards the veteran presence of a player like Andrew Mangiapane. Mangiapane is in his first season with the Oilers after spending last year racking up 28 points in 81 games with the Washington Capitals. He brings 498 games, and 243 points, worth of NHL experience – though has never filled a consistent top-line role.
Sharks Sign Oliver Wahlstrom To PTO, AHL Deal
5:45 PM: The AHL’s San Jose Barracuda have announced Wahlstrom has signed a minor-league deal with the club. That will serve as his fallback, should he not earn an NHL deal out of camp.
4:15 PM: The San Jose Sharks will soon sign winger Oliver Wahlstrom to a professional try-out contract, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. The report was later confirmed by PuckPedia. Pagnotta points out that Wahlstrom will have an AHL deal to fall back on, should he not earn an NHL contract. He was previously an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Boston Bruins at the start of the summer.
Wahlstrom played his first games outside of the New York Islanders organization midway through last season. After six years of failed attempts to earn an everyday role in the top-nine, the Islanders made the decision to place Wahlstrom on waivers in mid-December. He was claimed by the Bruins the next day, and stuck with Boston for the rest of year, even clearing waivers with the club in February. Wahlstrom split his time between the NHL and AHL Bruins, beginning with 16 games in Boston where he racked up two points and 28 penalty minutes in a bottom-six role. He looked much more electric in 26 games with the Providence Bruins to close the year, netting 19 points and 14 penalty minutes in total.
But even in a move away from New York, Wahlstrom struggled to earn routine NHL minutes. The former 11th-overall selection has fallen a long way since making his NHL debut in 2019. He quickly struggled to score at the NHL level, with 12 goals and 21 points in 44 games of his rookie season standing as the highest scoring pace of Wahlstrom’s pro career. He posted a career-high 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games of his second NHL season, but fell to menial scoring and routine healthy scratches soon after that.
The Islanders rotated Wahlstrom around the lineup, but couldn’t find the right match for his flashy puck-skills and hard shot. Those traits did come to life during his stint with Providence at the end of last season, though. That fact commanded the attention of AHL clubs looking for a boost in scoring. It’s also commanded the attention of one of the NHL’s true bottom-feeders. San Jose is looking to bring in as much veteran presence and leadership as they can, to help guide a roster that’s sure to be one of the youngest in the league. Wahlstrom will be in direct competition for minutes with young wingers like Collin Graf, Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev, and Quentin Musty. Each of those players face the test of proving they can stick in the NHL. The Sharks will be the beneficiaries of that competition, whether through awarding rookies strong minutes or finding the positives out of struggling veterans. They’ll hope Wahlstrom can be the one to emerge above the rest, and finally bank on his long-lauded potential.
Denton Mateychuk, Four Others Injured To Start Blue Jackets Training Camp
The Columbus Blue Jackets have plans to ease top defense prospect Denton Mateychuk up to speed at the start of training camp as he recovers from a groin injury, per general manager Don Waddell in a recent conversation with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Portzline added that forwards Jordan Dumais (lower-body) and Max McCue (undisclosed) will both be day-to-day with injury, forward Owen Sillinger (knee) will be held out of contact all camp, and defenseman Luca Marrelli (shoulder) will be out until December. All five players are listed on Columbus’ training camp roster.
This news will make Mateychuk worth that much more attention at this year’s camp. He was generally injury-free during his first pro season, which spanned 27 AHL games and 45 NHL games last season. Mateychuk posted four goals and 13 points in a Blue Jackets jersey, along with 25 points in the minor-leagues. It was an incredibly productive year for the 2022 12th-overall selection, and one that sets him up well to break into the NHL full-time this season. Mateychuk will boast clear top-four upside when he lands with the Blue Jackets, after averaging 18 minutes of ice time last season. He should be a strong option to play behind top defender Zach Werenski, and next to shutdown defender Ivan Provorov.
Columbus’ remaining injuries will help shape the minor-league roster to start the year. Sillinger held a prominent role in the AHL and seems near the top of Columbus’ call-up sheet entering the new year, though he’ll need to fully recover from a late-season injury before he can prove his NHL worthiness. Marrelli and Dumais have each signed their entry-level contracts, though only Marrelli will be eligible to return to the CHL. That will be his likeliest outcome, while Dumais will look to fully stride into the pro ranks after netting 11 points in 21 AHL games last season. Dumais should sit atop the AHL lineup next season, while McCue – another first-year pro who recorded eight points and 122 penalty minutes in 46 AHL games last season – will sit near the bottom of the lineup.
Canadiens Discussing Extension For Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton
The Montreal Canadiens are working on contract extensions for general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice president Jeff Gorton, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Gorton’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season, while Hughes is signed through the 2026-27 season, per reports from Sportsnet.
The duo has led Montreal down the course of a rapid rebuild, from the point of three last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division to a surprise playoff bid at the end of last season. That surge has been entirely driven by the additions Hughes has made to the Canadiens lineup. Emerging star defenseman Lane Hutson and 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky – both brought in by Hughes – ranked third and fourth on the team in scoring last season. Hutson even earned the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie, after becoming just the second rookie defender to ever reach 60 assists. One of the two players to outscore the young stars was top winger Cole Caufield, who Hughes inked to a lucrative eight-year, $62.8MM contract extension in the summer of 2023.
Solidifying the core pieces of a lineup capable of a playoff push would be enough to earn any rookie GM a new deal. But it’s Hughes’ brazen confidence in making moves that’s truly stood apart from the rest. He continued to make notable additions throughout this summer, on the heels of a big year. Hughes acquired top defenseman Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders in June, and acquired former first-round pick Zachary Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues on the heels of a 19-goal season. Both additions could have major ramifications on the Canadiens’ lineup next season. Dobson – who posted 70 points in the 2023-24 season – should find a comfortable role at the top of Montreal’s depth chart; while Bolduc will offer a reliable goal-scoring punch from the third-line.
Hughes’ sheer confidence is most readily apparent in the draft. He’s already landed a draft-day steal for the ages in the young Hutson, who fell to 62nd-overall in 2022 despite being lauded as a first-round talent to many public scouts. Hughes also drafted highly-acclaimed goalie prospect Jacob Fowler, NHL legacy centerman Aatos Koivu, and highly-skilled but undersized dynamo L.J. Mooney in the middle-rounds of the last three drafts. He also landed superstar Russian scorer Ivan Demidov with the fifth-overall pick in 2024. Many fans have already questioned how Demidov slipped to the end of the top-five, and he’ll be a front-runner for the Calder Trophy this season, after posting 49 points in 65 KHL games last summer.
No matter how the 2025-26 season goes, it seems hard to deny that Montreal is headed for a bright future. The Canadiens’ roster is expected to enter the season with the youngest average age in the league after having the second-youngest team last year. Despite that, they’ll be popular underdog candidates to break into the postseason once again next summer. A big year out of Hutson, Demidov, and even AHL starter Fowler could go far in showing Hughes what pieces he’ll be working with throughout the next decade. Then, a hardy extension from the Montreal ownership will ensure he stays connected to what he’s built. So long as they stay at the helm, Hughes and Gorton will face the difficult task of extending Hutson, Kirby Dach, and Patrik Laine among others next summer.