The Montreal Canadiens named player agent Kent Hughes as the 18th general manager in franchise history on Tuesday.
Hughes, 51, signed a five-year contract with the team and replaces Marc Bergevin, who was fired as the club’s general manager on Nov. 28. The Canadiens also dismissed assistant general manager Trevor Timmins on the same day and hired Jeff Gorton as the team’s executive vice president.
“The process of finding our new general manager afforded us the opportunity to meet a number of extremely qualified candidates,” Gorton said in a statement Tuesday. “Kent stood out, and we believe he is the right person to be the general manager of the Canadiens. We also believe that Kent’s experience as an agent will be a great asset to the organization.”
Hughes, who is bilingual, has served as an agent for Quartexx Management based in Quebec since 2016.
He has represented several players including Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron, forwards Sammy Blais of the New York Rangers and Anthony Beauvillier of the New York Islanders, and defensemen Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers.
“We are very excited to add Kent Hughes to our organization,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “Kent is highly-respected in the hockey world, having built an excellent reputation as an NHL player agent for over 25 years now.”
Bergevin, 56, held his position since 2012 after building his executive career with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he helped win the 2010 Stanley Cup as director of player personnel.
The Canadiens are just months removed from reaching the Stanley Cup Final and losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bergevin, in turn, was just months removed from finishing second for the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award.
The Canadiens, however, now reside in last place in the league with a 7-25-5 record.
–Field Level Media
