Kent Hughes interview at Processus

[26Mats]

Good point; after their first rounder they won’t shy from talent, however Mesar and Brindley aren’t all that good with hindsight.

I like Hughes. But have to wonder if he's sYing "I think we would have taken Brindley and we wouldn't have gotten Fowler, to make the fanbase happy with the Newhook trade and Newhook.

 

[Miller Time]

Review of the 15 first min. I have to run and will edit and add the rest if I can find time later

- Discussion on how being an agent help him as a GM. Feel like arriving with knowledge of the player and being able to communicate with them is key. He wanted to develop relations with players. That was also a key asset he wanted in a coach.
-Discussed MLS hiring: Hiring MSL is, thus far, the decision he's the most happy about. Getting him on an interim basis was the best way to bring him over and ensure the decision would be better received by outsiders.
- Discussion on how rumors are started. lots of attention on MTL, some are trues but lots of wrong. He can't deny them all the time... no win situation. He shared a case where he call a media person that was spreading a false rumor and told him to call him instead of doing shit like that. Share that some GM do use the media as a negotiating tactic.
- Discussion on his 1st draft. He feel like being a GM in MTL your like a politician... your approval rating will go up and down. You can only judge your work once you are done. share his decision making process on accepting the job in MTL. Confirm that they spent lots of time looking at prospect and his agent job gave him some insight on some prospect. He defer to the team ultimately but it was an unanimous choice to go with Slaf.

Edit:
- Discussion on USDP and how Hutson was the best player on the team at that moment. He didn't focus on Hutson before the draft. they really put more time on the top 15 guys. Explain that he trusted the recruiting team to draft him in the best spot. This get him to admit they did the same with Fowler, liked him alot but waited to the best spot to draft him. He added that he was interested in Brindley too. He followed up with the story about AVS wanting to draft Fowler in the second round as they not traded their pick. he admitted that would they not have traded for newhook, col would have use their pick for fowler.
- Quick discussion about Snake looking to bring Ken's son in Valdor and Kent to explain that they preferred to play in the US for family reasons.
- Discussion on a "regular day" as a GM. Similar to a player agent, you can't plan you day/week. Very reactive. Explain that from the outside looks like its all hockey, but his job is managing lots of other stuff like interpersonal relation, operation, etc.
- Discussion on development (as part of the team strategy). He define development as ensuring that a player get to play at his best that he can. Each player as a different curve and limit. Speak to communication and how this is important. Give the example of his discussion with Slaf: don't play like Jack Hugues, play like you. Focus on 3 elements: can the player want to learn. can he understand, and can they incorporate it on his game in a very reactive game. Give the example of Brad Marchant being the best player to learn and improve.
- Discussion on how much he's involved in the development of player. He admit it's not common but he has lots of experience in coaching in the pass and he's patinate about helping younger one to improve. He learn a lot about how to manage players. Give the example of Levavalier having hard time with Torts and how he manage to get Lecavalier to change is approach to the game, but more importantly how he also learn how to manage it's relation with the player, including having empathy. Brunet compared Slaf to Lecavalier in term development. Explain that they they barely spoke with Slaf the first year. They know he needed to improve his read, but they didn't want him to play in a level where he would dominate physically.
- Speak to the role of Reinbacher. See him as something like Carrier. He explained that he believe that before the Carrier trade, they had more trouble with pressure then with physical play on defense. See a big difference since Carrier's trade.
- Discussion on public scouting list. Team list are often different then public list.
- Discussion quantity of picks being a good approach. give the chance to find hidden gem or do trade
- Discussion on staggering end of contract. KH explain that contracts ending at the same time give lost of power on the players. Quick discussion on if you expect players to take a discount at some point, you should expect to give a bit more when you have that flexibility (ok... that to me was interesting and telling about what could happen with Evans!!!)
- Snake raise nepotism as a way to hire in the NHL: KH explain it's more about having confidence that someone can do the job. interview rarely bring that level of knowledge. KH like to debate idea and strategy. in 2023, there was little unknown at the draft so they didn't expect to make a decision at the table. in 2024, there was lots of uncertainty and a decision at the table was a strong possibility. He task the 2 scouts (no Nick and Martin could participate) to look at 2 guys. They estimated that Demidov had a 50% change to be available. he was their no1.
- Discussion on what he learn thus far as MTL GM: Learn a lot about hockey ops, but more about the relation between the management team and coaching staff. Coach want to win, management want player development over wins.
-

this guy gets it on so many levels... it is such a pleasure to finally have this level of leadership competence managing the Habs.

FUTURE IS BRIGHT

 

[Miller Time]

Did he really compare Reinbacher to Carrier?

Hughes still trolling

if Carrier was 4 inches taller, 45lbs heavier, and could still skate and move at his level, he'd be a pietrangelo caliber all star... so yeah, trolling those who doubt or who can't see the forest through the leaves

 

[Shred]

I like Hughes. But have to wonder if he's sYing "I think we would have taken Brindley and we wouldn't have gotten Fowler, to make the fanbase happy with the Newhook trade and Newhook.

He said we basically traded nothing for Newhook since we would have taken Fowler with the pick and got Fowler later anyway. Hughes isn’t one to turn down a game of 4D chess with the fans, that much is certain.

 

[Treb]

Do you think Slaf cares what Hughes thinks?

How much can a kid with a guaranteed 50 mil really care about his boss who can’t fire him?

If he's a terrible person, sure.

 

[Deus ex machina]

He said we basically traded nothing for Newhook since we would have taken Fowler with the pick and got Fowler later anyway. Hughes isn’t one to turn down a game of 4D chess with the fans, that much is certain.

How many times will you hear a GM tell which player he was gonna take with a pick he traded away?
That's a first for me.

Almost seems like he planned to make the Newhook trade look better.

 

[Goldenhands]

That makes me think Cameron Schmidt will be one of our first round picks this summer. If he was going to burn a first on Brindley. Maybe Hughes wants a team of talented smurfs.

Brindley is 5'9 and plays bigger than Dach or Laine, he is a little bull out there who finishes his checks and win most of his 50/50 puck battles, he is pretty strong for his size.. His motor is insane over 200 feet, great skater, one of the smartest players in that draft with and without the puck and his skills set is way above average. He will be a NHLer 100% and a very good one,

 

[Victoire HuGo]

Yeah I also think it's a little early to throw in the towel for Brindley. I don't think Hughes is playing 4D chess here

 

[Deus ex machina]

Yeah I also think it's a little early to throw in the towel for Brindley. I don't think Hughes is playing 4D chess here

I don't think it's super relevant whether or not you throw the towel.
How many fans wanted the Habs to draft Brindley instead of getting Newhook?

 

[HuGort]

How many times will you hear a GM tell which player he was gonna take with a pick he traded away?
That's a first for me.

Almost seems like he planned to make the Newhook trade look better.

I'm quite sure one of those picks would have been Augustine. Habs were goalie starved in that draft and he was top rated goalie.

 

[RationalExpectations]

So let me get this straight. Slafkovsky has the skills to dangle, shoot and pass but they want him GRINDING instead?

Gtfo therrien.

When is he going to be allowed to learn to make those moves in the NHL? We’ve all seen him do it. 1st overall picks should
Not be moulded into grinders: he’s got skills; he can skate and agile and has the potential to be an elite offensive forward. Why tell him not to test those things?

He does not have the skill to dangle at NHL Level, he is losing the puck time and time again most of the time when he dangles. You can’t t say he is a great skater either. He sometimes has a great shot but most of the time does not use it (Kind of Like KK on this one). Not sure how you can say they don t test it while he has been showing to be very average at those skills.

 

[ReHabs]

He does not have the skill to dangle at NHL Level, he is losing the puck time and time again most of the time when he dangles. You can’t t say he is a great skater either. He sometimes has a great shot but most of the time does not use it (Kind of Like KK on this one). Not sure how you can say they don t test it while he has been showing to be very average at those skills.

Playing physical is a personality thing and it’s almost ingrained after years of playing a certain way.

NFL players say it often, that playing physical only comes after practicing physical and getting mentally prepared to be rocked and to rock opponents.

Slaf doesn’t have that kind of playing style. He’s not a ferocious forechecker or a power forward. I’d like to think HuGoBo know that as well.

What I interpret them to mean is that they want Slaf to drive to the inside and into the corners. Play like Gallagher Jumbo. You don’t need to be a mad dog to go to this spots, you just need to want it more and leverage your physical gifts.

He’s a skillful forward with a great frame. If he plays an ordinary NHL forward’s game he will succeed.

But will he? I don’t like feeling doubts about a player so important to our rebuild. I definitely don’t like how irrelevant he is to our story — he’s not even criticized by the media, he’s ignored. He’s not implicated in anything. And he has a mega contract kicking in.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Playing physical is a personality thing and it’s almost ingrained after years of playing a certain way.

NFL players say it often, that playing physical only comes after practicing physical and getting mentally prepared to be rocked and to rock opponents.

Slaf doesn’t have that kind of playing style. He’s not a ferocious forechecker or a power forward. I’d like to think HuGoBo know that as well.

What I interpret them to mean is that they want Slaf to drive to the inside and into the corners. Play like Gallagher Jumbo. You don’t need to be a mad dog to go to this spots, you just need to want it more and leverage your physical gifts.

He’s a skillful forward with a great frame. If he plays an ordinary NHL forward’s game he will succeed.

But will he? I don’t like feeling doubts about a player so important to our rebuild. I definitely don’t like how irrelevant he is to our story — he’s not even criticized by the media, he’s ignored. He’s not implicated in anything. And he has a mega contract kicking in.

That s where you see how great HuGo Communication has been : there is very limited criticism from the Media on any player. This is a good thing to some extent because you don t want to chase players out of the City but feels like it s also everybody being fine with losing.

 

[HuGort]

Brindley is 5'9 and plays bigger than Dach or Laine, he is a little bull out there who finishes his checks and win most of his 50/50 puck battles, he is pretty strong for his size.. His motor is insane over 200 feet, great skater, one of the smartest players in that draft with and without the puck and his skills set is way above average. He will be a NHLer 100% and a very good one,

You talking about Brindley. But what about Schmidt?

 

[rickthegoon]

I like that they want him to be a power forward, that’s great

I don’t like how there isn’t really a noticeable difference in his game from the time he was pulled aside until now. He’s playing on the top line and looks fine, but he hasn’t upped the physicality or changed his style of play to match his strengths, yet at least.

I do see a difference. If you look back at the beggining of the season, Slaf would lose more board battles than he won, he was pushed around like during his first season. Even though he’s not yet a physical beast like we wish, I can see it coming in the next couple of years. He’s still 20 yo? I mean, I can’t remember anybody else aside Lindros and Ovechkin being physically dominant at that age. I know people will disagree, but I would be willing to give Slaf mulligans until he’s 23 y.o. The progression is there, the attitude is perfect so far and he’s a few years away from getting his <man strength> . I like how management is handling his development.

 

[Scriptor]

Review of the 15 first min. I have to run and will edit and add the rest if I can find time later

- Discussion on how being an agent help him as a GM. Feel like arriving with knowledge of the player and being able to communicate with them is key. He wanted to develop relations with players. That was also a key asset he wanted in a coach.
-Discussed MLS hiring: Hiring MSL is, thus far, the decision he's the most happy about. Getting him on an interim basis was the best way to bring him over and ensure the decision would be better received by outsiders.
- Discussion on how rumors are started. lots of attention on MTL, some are trues but lots of wrong. He can't deny them all the time... no win situation. He shared a case where he call a media person that was spreading a false rumor and told him to call him instead of doing shit like that. Share that some GM do use the media as a negotiating tactic.
- Discussion on his 1st draft. He feel like being a GM in MTL your like a politician... your approval rating will go up and down. You can only judge your work once you are done. share his decision making process on accepting the job in MTL. Confirm that they spent lots of time looking at prospect and his agent job gave him some insight on some prospect. He defer to the team ultimately but it was an unanimous choice to go with Slaf.

Edit:
- Discussion on USDP and how Hutson was the best player on the team at that moment. He didn't focus on Hutson before the draft. they really put more time on the top 15 guys. Explain that he trusted the recruiting team to draft him in the best spot. This get him to admit they did the same with Fowler, liked him alot but waited to the best spot to draft him. He added that he was interested in Brindley too. He followed up with the story about AVS wanting to draft Fowler in the second round as they not traded their pick. he admitted that would they not have traded for newhook, col would have use their pick for fowler.
- Quick discussion about Snake looking to bring Ken's son in Valdor and Kent to explain that they preferred to play in the US for family reasons.
- Discussion on a "regular day" as a GM. Similar to a player agent, you can't plan you day/week. Very reactive. Explain that from the outside looks like its all hockey, but his job is managing lots of other stuff like interpersonal relation, operation, etc.
- Discussion on development (as part of the team strategy). He define development as ensuring that a player get to play at his best that he can. Each player as a different curve and limit. Speak to communication and how this is important. Give the example of his discussion with Slaf: don't play like Jack Hugues, play like you. Focus on 3 elements: can the player want to learn. can he understand, and can they incorporate it on his game in a very reactive game. Give the example of Brad Marchant being the best player to learn and improve.
- Discussion on how much he's involved in the development of player. He admit it's not common but he has lots of experience in coaching in the pass and he's patinate about helping younger one to improve. He learn a lot about how to manage players. Give the example of Levavalier having hard time with Torts and how he manage to get Lecavalier to change is approach to the game, but more importantly how he also learn how to manage it's relation with the player, including having empathy. Brunet compared Slaf to Lecavalier in term development. Explain that they they barely spoke with Slaf the first year. They know he needed to improve his read, but they didn't want him to play in a level where he would dominate physically.
- Speak to the role of Reinbacher. See him as something like Carrier. He explained that he believe that before the Carrier trade, they had more trouble with pressure then with physical play on defense. See a big difference since Carrier's trade.
- Discussion on public scouting list. Team list are often different then public list.
- Discussion quantity of picks being a good approach. give the chance to find hidden gem or do trade
- Discussion on staggering end of contract. KH explain that contracts ending at the same time give lost of power on the players. Quick discussion on if you expect players to take a discount at some point, you should expect to give a bit more when you have that flexibility (ok... that to me was interesting and telling about what could happen with Evans!!!)
- Snake raise nepotism as a way to hire in the NHL: KH explain it's more about having confidence that someone can do the job. interview rarely bring that level of knowledge. KH like to debate idea and strategy. in 2023, there was little unknown at the draft so they didn't expect to make a decision at the table. in 2024, there was lots of uncertainty and a decision at the table was a strong possibility. He task the 2 scouts (no Nick and Martin could participate) to look at 2 guys. They estimated that Demidov had a 50% change to be available. he was their no1.
- Discussion on what he learn thus far as MTL GM: Learn a lot about hockey ops, but more about the relation between the management team and coaching staff. Coach want to win, management want player development over wins.
-

Very kind of you to translate the gist of the interview, Kosseca (good job, in the process, BTW).

 

[Hins77]

Sinon Boisvert was looking for sneak a job a the end of the interview. He was asking why management are just hiring friends to Kent Hugues. Probably Simon sent his resume

 

[Gillings]

He does not have the skill to dangle at NHL Level, he is losing the puck time and time again most of the time when he dangles. You can’t t say he is a great skater either. He sometimes has a great shot but most of the time does not use it (Kind of Like KK on this one). Not sure how you can say they don t test it while he has been showing to be very average at those skills.

I said he has shown the ability to do those things. I see someone who can absolutely be able to dangle a whole team in his prime easily.

 

[Scriptor]

The physical attributes, skill, better than average hockey sense, etc. are all there, but, unless Slafkovsky gets a bit meaner out there, he will never actually dominate consistently.

In his first season, he tried to be mean, but as soon as he got suspended for a questionnable check, he became a lamb the rest of the way.

I don't know if you can change personality, but I have also seen Slafkovsky score and stick out his tongue at the crowd afterwards in a cocky challenge. That side needs to come out more...