Canadiens renew GM Hughes and president of Hockey Ops Gorton – The Hockey Writers Montreal Canadiens Latest news, analysis and more

Fresh from extending defenseman Lane Hutson to a multi-year extension with near-unanimous approval, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes signed one himself on Tuesday. He did that too now-president of hockey operations Jeff Gortonwhose promotion was also announced by the Habs. The extensions are intended to keep both men in the organization for another five years, each in the final years of their current deals, at this point.

Gorton and Hughes lead Canadiens out of the NHL cellar

Now entering his fourth, likely full season on the job, Hughes was hired midway through the 2021-22 season at the team’s bottom line by Gorton, who months earlier was hired as then-executive vice president of hockey operations in November 2021. Gorton’s hiring coincided with the firing of ex-GM Marc Bergevin. Hughes was appointed to replace Bergevin in January 2022.

The Canadiens have agreed to multi-year contract extensions with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.

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Since then, the Canadiens have shown marked improvement in the standings each season. In 2022-23 and 2023-24, the Habs finished fifth from last in the standings with 68 and 76 points, respectively. So far, their efforts to guide the franchise through a rebuild have resulted in a largely unexpected playoff finish in 2024-25, as the Habs earned 91 points to secure a berth in Game 82 while, according to some reports, the Habs youngest team in NHL history to complete the feat.

As GM, Hughes has overseen the selection of key players such as Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, his first event in the role. He has also written highly regarded pieces such as forward Ivan Demidov (2024) and goalkeeper Jacob Fowler (2023), each widely regarded as potential franchise cornerstones for the future. Meanwhile, he has acquired players like forward Zachary Bolduc and defenseman Noah Dobson via trade, both last summer, to further shape the Habs based on his vision for a attacking dynamic team upon entry into employment.

In terms of signings, in addition to Hutson ($70.8 million, eight years), the Canadiens have added additional core pieces such as Slafkovsky ($60.8 million, eight years) and Cole Caufield ($62.8 million, eight years) to long-term extensions, overseen by Hughes. The team’s current core is expected to stay together until at least 2030, at which point Nick Suzuki will become an unrestricted free agent under a deal signed by Bergevin ($63 million, eight years).

The Canadiens are 2-1 thus far and will play the Seattle Kraken at home on Tuesday night for their first game at the Bell Center this season.