Arpon Basu hints Kent Hughes is eyeing massive draft day trade

Indeed, this was notably the case with the acquisition of Kirby Dach in 2022 and that of Alex Newhook last year. Owning two first-round picks this year and needing to free up some defensemen from his lineup to make room for Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher, it would not be surprising if the CH's GM attempted a big move to add some punch to the offense on June 28th in Vegas.

After all, a "package" involving the Winnipeg Jets' first-round pick, a young defenseman like Jayden Struble, Justin Barron, or Jordan Harris, along with other elements, the Tricolore could potentially acquire a top 6 forward to join Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovksy, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook.

It's worth noting that Jeff Gorton recently mentioned that he wanted to see his team reach a higher level in 2024-2025, and this intention is expected to influence the moves made by the management during the offseason. Fans who are eagerly waiting to see the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge compete for a playoff spot will likely not complain about such a possibility.

In this regard, Arpon Basu, the reporter assigned to the Tricolore's activities for The Athletic, who also has excellent sources in the NHL, noted that Kent Hughes could use his depth at defense to try to acquire offensive reinforcements in the coming months.

Certainly, the summer promises to be eventful, and we are eager to see the trades that our general manager will attempt to make.