Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes isn’t interested in chasing trends. In a recent interview, he made it clear: the Canadiens aren’t going to bulk up just because they were pushed around by the Washington Capitals in last season’s playoff exit.
Physicality matters, sure-but to Hughes, it’s not about size. It’s about compete level.
Let’s rewind to that series. The Habs were outmuscled, no doubt.
Tom Wilson and company made their presence felt in every zone. But if you expected Hughes to respond by stacking the roster with enforcers, think again.
“We already have size,” Hughes pointed out, referencing players like Joel Armia (6'3", 215 lbs), Kirby Dach (6'4", 221 lbs), and Josh Anderson (6'3", 226 lbs). The issue, in his view, wasn’t the height and weight on the roster-it was how that size was being used.
That subtle distinction may help explain why the Canadiens ultimately decided to move on from Armia, despite his value on the penalty kill. It wasn’t a knock on his tools, but rather a question of how consistently those tools translated into impact on the ice.
So what is Hughes looking for? He didn’t just tell us-he showed us, using two unlikely examples: Lane Hutson and Brendan Gallagher. Neither stands taller than 5'9", and yet both embody the kind of relentless, high-motor hockey that Hughes wants to see more of in Montreal.
Hutson, still early in his NHL journey, is the kind of player who turns mistakes into teaching moments-and then into hustle plays. Lose the puck in the offensive zone?
He’s already on the backcheck like a heat-seeking missile. He doesn’t just recover; he disrupts.
Then there’s Gallagher. He may have lost a step, but his compete level hasn’t dipped an inch.
Every puck battle is personal. Whether he’s digging in the corners or planting himself in front of the net, he’s still a thorn in the side of opposing defensemen.
And yes, he might be doubled over on his way back to the bench-but he leaves it all on the ice. That kind of effort still resonates inside the Canadiens’ dressing room, and clearly, with the front office too.
All of this tells us two things. First, Hughes is building a team identity around effort, not just attributes.
Second, Gallagher’s role on this team isn’t going anywhere-despite age, despite injuries, despite younger players pushing for minutes. As the roster gets healthier, he’s not an easy scratch.
He’s a tone-setter.
Hughes also made it clear he’s not interested in mimicking the latest Stanley Cup winner. He’s not going to pivot his roster strategy based on who lifts the trophy in June.
That kind of reactive thinking, he believes, only sets a team back. Instead, he’s sticking to the blueprint he laid out when he first took the job: a fast, skilled, up-tempo team that can generate offense and play with pace.
It’s not just talk, either. The Canadiens have been steadily adding players who fit that mold.
They’re not trying to out-muscle the league-they’re trying to out-skate it, out-work it, and out-smart it. That doesn’t mean they’ll shy away from physicality, but they’re not about to sacrifice speed and skill just to answer the bell in a fight.
In a league where rosters can swing wildly based on trends-big and bruising one year, small and speedy the next-Hughes is betting on consistency. He’s building a team with a clear identity, and he’s not letting one playoff series, no matter how frustrating, knock him off course.
The Canadiens may still be in the midst of a rebuild, but the foundation is being laid with purpose. And if Hughes gets his way, this team won’t just be bigger or faster-they’ll be hungrier.