Canadiens hire Kent Hughes as GM

The Montreal Canadiens have hired Kent Hughes as the club's 18th general manager in franchise history. Hughes signed a five-year contract with the team.

Hughes, a Montreal native, has primarily worked in the NHL as a player agent. His current roster of over 20 clients includes Patrice Bergeron, Kris Letang, and Darnell Nurse. He began his career as an agent by representing Vincent Lecavalier in 1998.

"We are very excited to add Kent Hughes to our organization. Kent is highly respected in the hockey world, having built an excellent reputation as an NHL player agent for over 25 years now," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement.

Hughes will work side-by-side with recently hired executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton. The club fired longtime GM Marc Bergevin earlier this season.

"The process of finding our new general manager afforded us the opportunity to meet a number of extremely qualified candidates. Kent stood out, and we believe he is the right person to be the general manager of the Canadiens," Gorton said. "We also believe that Kent's experience as an agent will be a great asset to the organization."

Hughes is the father of New York Rangers prospect Riley Hughes and 2022 draft-eligible top prospect Jack Hughes.