Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes held a press conference on Thursday morning. It was his first media address since trading defenseman Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
The return for Chiarot included Florida’s 2023 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick, and prospect Tyler Smilanic. Hughes says he was insistent on getting a first-round pick for 2023 since the Canadiens already have three first-rounders in the upcoming NHL draft.
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“We’re happy with the trade,” he said. “I think it makes Florida a better hockey team at the same time.” As for Smilanic, the prospect involved in the deal, Hughes commented on his speed and scoring capability, explaining that the American forward’s “style of play” has the potential to fit into coach Martin St. Louis’ system.
Meanwhile, Hughes expressed certainty that Chiarot would have brought value to whichever team’s blue line he ended up on. “To me, whoever got Ben Chiarot was taking a big step forward in their chance to win the Stanley Cup.”
With the NHL trade deadline only a few days away, Hughes was also asked if more big moves were coming. “I don’t know that I want to announce publicly to the whole world what our objective is,” he said. “We’re not looking to make a fire sale here.”
Nonetheless, the GM specified that at least one player is certainly on the table.
“We’ll trade Jeff Petry if we can, given the family situation,” said Hughes. “But we’re only going to do that if it’s a deal that makes sense for us.”
Petry’s wife and children moved to Michigan earlier in the year due to the Quebec government’s imposing of a provincewide curfew that was put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The 34-year-old, who was a Norris Trophy candidate last year, has seen a major decrease in production this season with 16 points over 53 games.