A new clip from the Canadiens’ documentary adds a sharper edge to what happened on deadline day: Montreal wasn’t working one big deal, it was juggling two serious trade conversations at the same time.
Jeff Gorton makes that clear in the footage, saying, “Obviously, we were having serious discussions with two teams.”
That changes the picture of how close the Canadiens were to making a move. Until now, the prevailing read was that one major trade simply collapsed at the last second. The new material suggests the front office had multiple irons in the fire.
Gorton does not identify either team involved, and the organization’s released footage keeps the mystery intact. Earlier clips showed Kent Hughes on the phone offering two first-round picks, including one top-20 protected selection and another from the 2026 draft.
The sequence ends with Gorton and Hughes looking visibly disappointed in their suite after what appears to have been at least one major deal slipping away. According to the reporting, the agreement was submitted to the NHL too late, after the deadline had already passed.
One name that has swirled around the mystery player is Matthew Knies. His name had come up repeatedly in the rumors, and Renaud Lavoie recently reported that the Knies situation is still alive. A change in Toronto’s management, however, reportedly shifted the Maple Leafs’ asking price.
In the end, Montreal came away from that day empty-handed. The Canadiens did not complete a trade, and Hughes had already made his frustration clear to the media afterward.
The third season of the documentary has been available on Crave since the beginning of the month, with new episodes arriving every Tuesday through September 29, the day of the season opener. One tease from Crave Canada sums up the moment neatly: “A major trade under discussion, the deadline approaching… and a decision coming down to the final seconds.”
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