GMs calling Montreal about Josh Anderson aren't getting the answer they wanted
With word a few days ago that a number of general managers around the NHL had called the Montreal Canadiens to inquire about forward Josh Anderson comes word from Habs GM Kent Hughes that the team is in no rush to move him. In fact, while answering a question in French on Thursday, Hughes made it sound as though the team had little to no interest in shipping Anderson out at all.
Translation: "Several teams called for Josh Anderson and he was not traded. It just goes to show you how much we love Josh and want him to be part of the Canadiens organization." -- Kent Hughes
Anderson is a hard-nosed player who can throw his weight around. He's also an amazingly fast skater for his size and has offensive talent. That said, at $5.5 million per season, GMs would want more offense than Anderson gave the Habs last year (19G, 13A - 69GP). He really shouldn't have anywhere to go but up considering the kind of season it was for Montreal in 2021-22.
While Hughes may be comfortable holding on to Anderson, he's made it clear in the past that just about any member of the team is available if someone makes the right offer. Perhaps that could happen at the draft coming up in Montreal on July 7th. There's no question the Habs are in rebuild/reset mode and are looking for a more competitive future rather than trying to win now. The draft would be the place to get some of that work done.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jake Debrusk | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Roman Josi | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kirill Marchenko | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Kyle Palmieri | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Samuel Girard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Claude Giroux | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Oliver Kylington | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 21 | 17 | 4 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 30 | |
Devils | 23 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 30 | |
Hurricanes | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 29 | |
Golden Knights | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 20 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 27 | |
Flames | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | |
Stars | 19 | 13 | 6 | - | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||