No more vacation for Kent Hughes and the other NHL general managers. As of exactly midnight, the trade freeze has officially been lifted across the league.
We can expect the phones to be ringing quite a bit over the next few hours.
The GMs continued working hard behind the scenes during this short mandatory break.
Everyone is waiting to see whether Montreal will make a move to solidify its rebuild.
The Habs have interesting assets and the necessary flexibility to shake things up a bit before the trade deadline.
Montreal Canadiens fans are already watching every rumor closely.
“Reminder: The NHL’s Olympic trade freeze lifts at 11:59 p.m. ET tonight.
As the champagne corks fly in Milan, we are heading immediately back to your regularly scheduled programming.”
– Chris Johnston
Nicolas Cloutier of TVA Sports also confirmed that the end of the pause signals a busy week ahead.
Let’s be honest, the market is likely to be much more active than last year. Several teams are fighting for a playoff spot and looking for the missing piece to complete their puzzle.
Particular attention is being paid to players who will become unrestricted free agents this summer.
Those situations suddenly heat up when the calendar turns to March.
Kent Hughes ready to make a big move
The Laval Rocket is also producing prospects who could serve as interesting trade currency.
Kent Hughes has proven in the past that he is not afraid to pull off bold trades to improve his club.
We need to stay alert for announcements that could come at any moment this week.
The team’s salary structure allows it to take on certain contracts if the return is truly worth it.
The solid execution of the rebuilding plan remains the absolute priority for Montreal’s management.
The coming days will give us an excellent indication of the direction the organization is taking for the future.
We’ll be following this very closely, especially with the names currently circulating on social media.
What comes next promises to be exciting for hockey fans across Montreal.
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Montreal Canadiens trade watch begins as NHL freeze lifts at midnight
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