Major turnaround for Kent Hughes: buyout imminent?

Indeed, the two men were questioned about the possibility of a contract buyout being executed in the coming weeks.

This strategy could allow the general manager to have greater flexibility under the salary cap this summer, but could also free up an additional spot in Martin St-Louis's lineup.

Unfortunately, to the great dismay of fans who would like to see Josh Anderson leave the organization, Kent Hughes was rather categorical in indicating that the organization would not consider such a solution during the summer period.

This seemed to put an end to the numerous rumors involving the departure of Josh Anderson or even that of Brendan Gallagher, who should therefore be part of the lineup for the first game of the 2024-2025 season.

Not so fast!

During his appearance on TVA Sports, former NHL defenseman Philippe Boucher brought up an important point. According to him, the general manager of the Canadiens could not be 100% transparent when he received this question, otherwise, he would have caused panic among some team players.

He continued by mentioning that he firmly believes Kent Hughes will change his mind and carry out a contract buyout this summer. He did not want to name a specific player, but with the disastrous season of Josh Anderson and his lucrative contract of 5.5 million dollars still valid for three seasons, he would certainly be a candidate for such a financial maneuver.

Honestly, even though I hope the forward is not included in the long-term plans of the team, a contract buyout would have significant repercussions in the future, at a time when the CH will need space under the salary cap to sign these young prospects, but also to make a «splash» in the free agent market.

29-year-old Josh Anderson collected only nine goals and eleven assists this season, despite having «flirted» with the 20-goal mark in his three previous seasons with the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge.