NHL Draft Lottery | Kent Hughes reacts

MONTREAL – The 2024 NHL Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday, and general manager Kent Hughes addressed the media via Zoom after learning the Canadiens will pick fifth overall on June 28 in Vegas.

Here are some excerpts from his virtual press conference:

Please note that some answers have been modified for clarity and conciseness.

Hughes says he’s satisfied with his Draft position:

I think all teams hope to win the Lottery but in reality, knowing we’re picking fifth, we’re happy. We’re going to have some meetings next week, and we’ll then start to really discuss our options. [...] We’re very confident we’ll be able to pick a good player.

Hughes on whether he expects that player will be able to join the team in the near future:

I might be able to answer that question better after our meetings, but I imagine that if it’s someone who isn’t ready next year, it won’t be too much longer afterwards. If we look at what happened this year, the first three players to get drafted played in the NHL. And, I imagine there will be others from the 2023 Draft who will move up to the NHL this coming year.

Hughes remains open to different possibilities regarding the pick:

We’re always open to whatever will help improve our team. But, I think it’s very likely we’re going to use our pick [rather than trade it].

I expect I'll get calls and I'll probably make calls, that's just something you do in terms of your due diligence. As far as the realistic possibility that somebody moves the pick, whether it be us or somebody above us, it’s really hard to say.

Hughes hopes the team will be in a better position in the coming years and won’t need to draft as highly:

We definitely want to progress from one year to the next. It’s time to advance and be in the mix. And if that’s the case, if we succeed, we’ll draft later next year.

Hughes on whether the team would want to draft a forward:

We think we have depth on defense, especially among left shot defensemen. So, if we can go and get a forward who we think would be a top-6 player, that’s definitely something that would interest us.