Canadiens GM Confirms Trade Is Coming

Saturday, August 08, 2026 ,
Kent Hughes keeps pushing back his own deadline.

Montreal Canadiens general manager told reporters after the trade deadline that a deal was coming, just not on any fixed schedule. "He said it could be July. That didn't happen. Could be August. He said it could be September. It could be October. It could be November," the outlet reported, before adding Hughes' own framing of the situation.

"There's a lot of things that can still happen between now and the start of the season," Hughes said, according to the report. "Some fans are maybe getting upset and wondering why he hasn't done anything yet. But patience has been a virtue for this management team since we started this rebuild, and that hasn't changed. I don't see us going into December without a trade being made."

Marchenko Remains The Target, And The Price Just Got Clearer

The forward at the center of Montreal's patience is Kirill Marchenko.

The Columbus Blue Jackets winger is coming off a career year with 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points, all on a bargain $3.85 million cap hit. 

Per Daily Faceoff's Anthony Di Marco, Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell's real asking price starts with prospect Michael Hage, with defenseman David Reinbacher as a likely add-on. 

"If I'm Don Waddell, I'm asking for Michael Hage," Di Marco said. "I think Reinbacher, along with Michael Hage, have to be the ask or the starting point."

The reporting around Marchenko has been messy all summer. RG Media's Daria Tuboltseva said a trade was nearing completion, only for The Athletic's Aaron Portzline to shoot that down. "I was told that these current rumors of this trade being imminent are not factual," Portzline said, adding Columbus hasn't had real talks on Marchenko since draft weekend. 

Marchenko's own agent, Dan Milstein, mocked the coverage outright, calling the confidence in some reports "not attached to anything real."

Why Montreal Can Afford To Wait

Hughes has leverage most rebuilding teams don't. 

Insider George Cowan noted the Canadiens are "well-positioned with many draft picks and young prospects other teams are interested in," which is exactly why Hughes can sit on an offer rather than overpay out of desperation.

There's also a domino effect at play closer to home. Montreal is sitting on multiple unresolved contract situations, including restricted free agent Adam Fantilli in Columbus, and speculated that timing could be intentional. If Fantilli's situation shifts, it could reshape what Columbus needs back in a Marchenko deal entirely.

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