Kent Hughes First Mistake as Canadiens General Manager Emerges and It Doesn't Look Good

The majority of forecasts estimated that the team would be competing for a chance in the draft lottery, but unless there's a significant turnaround for Martin St-Louis' squad, the Canadiens are not even positioned to select in the top-10 currently.

However, while everything seems to be going smoothly for this rebuilding team, not all players are faring well. In particular, Josh Anderson is a significant disappointment.

Expected to be at the peak of his career, the powerful forward has not scored a single goal in 15 games this season and has only two assists so far.

Currently, due to his nonexistent offensive output and the fact that he earns $5.5 million for another four seasons, many are questioning the Canadiens' management decision to refuse all trade offers for him in the past year.

It's worth noting that in recent months, Anderson has been involved in numerous trade rumors. Usually, where there's smoke, there's fire, indicating his name was attracting attention from other league teams.

At one point, even during the last draft, reputable insiders like Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman mentioned that Anderson could fetch a significant return for the Canadiens. There was talk of at least a first-round pick, plus a promising prospect.

Refusing to move number 17 from the Canadiens might hurt the organization for a long time.

Besides losing the opportunity to capitalize on a player who was at the peak of his market value, Hughes now risks being forced to absorb the significant contract of a player overpaid for his offensive production for four more years.

If the opportunity presented itself now, would you let Josh Anderson go for a first-round pick and a promising prospect?