Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes, Trois-Rivieres Lions

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The 2022 NHL Entry Draft will be held this Thursday and Friday at the Bell Centre. Kent Hughes will be busy leading up to the time where the Canadiens will be called to announce their selection in front of a capacity building. The general manager is scheduled to speak to the media on Monday afternoon, and answer questions leading up to Thursday’s event where the club holds the first overall selection.

Montreal currently owns 14 picks for the draft. It’s unlikely that Canadiens will step up to the podium and select 14 players. Hughes may use some of the selections to move up and draft a targeted player, or to facilitate a trade to shed a contract with term.

There have been several reports that the Canadiens are trying acquire a second first-round draft pick in the top-10. Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun reported that the Canadiens have reached out to all the clubs with picks in the first 10 selections to gauge interest.

Preseason Schedule

The Canadiens announced their upcoming preseason schedule. Montreal will play a total of eight games, two more than last season. The first match will be on Monday, Sep. 26th, when the Canadiens host the New Jersey Devils. It can potentially be an exciting night as the first two draft picks of this week’s draft might square off.

The Habs will also face the Toronto Maple Leafs two times, the Winnipeg Jets, and the Ottawa Senators four times before the start of the regular season. The final two games against the Senators will be played in Newfoundland, and New Brunswick as part of Kraft Hockeyville contest.

Lions Qualifying Offers

The Trois-Rivieres Lions signed defenceman Philippe Bureau-Blais to an ECHL contract. Last season, the 27-year old Chateauguay native dressed for 14 games with the Lions, and collected five assists. He became the 12th player signed by Trois-Rivieres with a one-way ECHL contract.

General manager Marc-Andre Bergeron submitted qualifying offers to eight players prior to the June 30th deadline. By doing so, the Lions hold on to their rights for the entire 2022-23 season.

Players Qualified: Louis-Philip Guindon (G), Luke Orysiuk (D), Olivier Galipeau (D), Jesse Lees (D), Alexis D’Aoust (F), Julien Nantel (F), Tim Vanstone (F), Anthony Nellis (F)

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By Chris G., Senior Writer
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