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Dans les coulisses

The Canadiens’ bright future on the blue line will make Kent Hughes’ job easier

We couldn’t have said that out loud a few years ago, but now we can.

The Habs have great depth and succession on the blue line.

Already, the club has Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron in its line-up, four young players destined for a bright future.

But when we talk about the CH on defense, we also think of Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, Adam Engström, Jayden Struble and William Trudeau. We can even include Johnathan Kovacevic’s name in the discussion, even if he’s a little older than the others.

You’ll understand that, at some point, this could be to Kent Hughes’ advantage. If the guys develop properly and are all called upon to play in the NHL one day, Kent Hughes will have some decisions to make.

But the good news is that this surplus could be turned into a nice bargaining chip. Because if we keep it simple…

Remember that there are only six defensive positions in a field hockey club. Some teams use a 7th defenseman, but this is not a popular strategy in the NHL.

All this to say that, at the end of the day, there isn’t room for everyone. It’s a problem, but it’s a beautiful problem for the CH organization, as Bob Hartley explained earlier today on BPM Sports:

If these youngsters all progress well, soon Kent Hughes will be able to go out and get something big. – Bob Hartley

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What’s going to happen is that the youngsters will have to work hard every day to prove to the organization that they deserve their place in Montreal.

There’s going to be a great internal battle between the club’s young defenders, and it’s going to be particularly interesting to watch.

Kent Hughes has reiterated his desire to add raw talent to his club, and he will certainly have the opportunity to do so if the players develop the way we see them developing.

We already have some certainty with Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris and Justin Barron because they’re already playing in the NHL and because they’re heading in the right direction.

For the moment, it’s impossible to say who’s going to get the blame, because it’s far too early to do so. We don’t know what Hutson, Reinbacher, Mailloux and company will look like in two or three years’ time…

But what’s certain, in the end, is that the decisions won’t be easy to make.

The important thing for Kent Hughes will be to improve the team in some way. Some players may be untouchable, while others may not…

In short.

The Habs are destined for a bright future on the blue line, and the Habs GM should be able to use some of his youngsters to improve the team, which, let’s face it, needs to find a way to be better offensively.

In gusto

– Of note:

– For a great cause.

– Come on, boys!

– Congratulations!

– Kings captain has the right mentality.