Pierre McGuire is signaling that the Canadiens may not be staying quiet much longer.
After saying he checked in with several strong sources, the analyst said he believes Kent Hughes is lining up something significant for Montreal. McGuire also made clear that, while he no longer feels he has the best contacts inside the Detroit Red Wings organization, he sounds far more confident when talking about what he’s hearing around the Canadiens.
Montreal’s summer has felt calmer than expected, but McGuire insists the general manager has not been idle. On the “Toronto Sports Rush” podcast, he drew a comparison between the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, then dropped the line that will have fans paying attention:
"Toronto's made some moves. Montreal's about to make a move I think."
- Pierre McGuire
He didn’t attach a name, a position, or any concrete detail to that statement, so a healthy dose of caution still applies. Even so, the timing is hard to ignore.
The Canadiens have been linked all summer to the idea of adding more scoring help in their top six, the kind of player who can step in and make an immediate impact. Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies are among the bigger names that have come up. At this point, it’s difficult to imagine Montreal settling for a move that only adds depth.
The roster already has enough support pieces. What the Canadiens appear to need is someone who can fit into one of the top two lines and raise the level of the forward group.
If McGuire’s read is right, Montreal fans may finally be close to seeing some action. And if a larger deal does come together, Arber Xhekaj could be the kind of player whose name surfaces, especially with his regular spot looking uncertain after training camp and Martin St-Louis seemingly unable to trust him.
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