The Dallas Stars made a roster move just hours before they’re set to host the Montreal Canadiens, placing Cameron Hughes on waivers.
Hughes is a 30-year-old left-shot center who stands 6-foot and 190 pounds. Boston selected him in the sixth round of the 2015 draft, and he has one goal in five NHL games, all with Dallas.
He’s been the kind of depth piece who can pile up offense in the American Hockey League and still give a team something useful when called up. Last season, Hughes put up 68 points in 65 games with the Stars’ AHL affiliate, and 51 of those were assists. The year before that, he had 57 points in 69 games.
Dallas’ move came on a day when Minnesota claimed Cameron Crotty, while Carson Soucy cleared waivers.
Crotty, 27, is a 6-foot-3, 212-pound right-shot defenseman from Ottawa who was drafted in the third round in 2017. He has one assist in 11 NHL games and has gone without a point in three appearances this season.
Soucy, meanwhile, is a 32-year-old left-shot defenseman who checks in at 6-foot-5 and has 100 points in 448 NHL games. He had a minus-5 rating in seven games with Columbus before landing on waivers.
The Canadiens have not made a move, and Kent Hughes passed on both defensemen. There’s a good chance he does the same with the Dallas center.
Montreal is in Dallas tonight at 8 p.m.
In Other News...
Canadiens May Have Found Their Goalie Of The Future Early
Jacob Fowlers first stretch in Montreal has given the Canadiens plenty to think about, and not just because they appear to have landed a goalie with real upside in the 2023 NHL Draft. Taken sixth among the goalies selected that year, Fowler has quickly been handed the starting role, and the early returns have made him look like a possible bargain compared with the five netminders chosen ahead of him, none of whom have made an NHL impact yet.
The encouraging start is hard to ignore, even if the sample is still tiny. Seven games is nowhere near enough to crown a long-term answer in goal, but Fowler has already done enough to put himself on the radar as a potential future backbone for the Canadiens, which is exactly the kind of development they hoped to see when they took a swing on him. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Keep Getting Linked To A Blues Trade Worth Watching
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Montreal and St. Louis have already done business before, so the idea of another deal between them does not feel far-fetched. If the Canadiens are looking for a way to leverage their prospect depth, and the Blues are weighing their own roster logjam, this is the kind of crossover that could make sense for both sides, even if the specifics remain very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Face A Goalie Crunch Fans Cant Ignore
The Canadiens have leaned on rookie Jacob Fowler heavily this season while Jakub Dobes tries to find his game again, and the team is heading toward an even tighter squeeze in goal with Sam Montembeault expected back from injury in mid-November. It is the kind of roster wrinkle that can change quickly, especially when a young goalie is being asked to carry more than originally planned and an established veteran is nearing a return.
For now, Montreal appears content to let the situation play out rather than force a move before it has to. The challenge is obvious: once Montembeault is healthy, the Canadiens will have three goalies in the mix, and the front office will have to decide whether patience is the better play or whether the right offer changes everything. [Read more 🡒]