Who is Kent Hughes? Agent born in Montreal linked to the position of general manager of the Canadiens

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Who is Kent Hughes?

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That’s a question many Habs fans might ask themselves after Hughes could be in the running to become the team’s next GM.

Mathias Brunet of La Presse was the first to mention Hughes’ name as a potential candidate and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also spoke about Canadians ‘interest in the players’ agent on Saturday during Hockey Night in Canada.

At Jeff Gorton’s first press conference on Friday as the Canadiens’ new executive vice president of hockey operations, he said he would think outside the box in his search for a new GM and an agent of players was a possibility.

“The person I think they’re interested in and who’s an agent is Kent Hughes, who was born in Montreal, he’s bilingual (and is) now in the Boston area,” Friedman said on HNIC. “So there’s a connection to Gorton for the two of them being there. “

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Hughes told Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports on Saturday night he did not speak with Gorton about the work of the Canadiens.

“I don’t control the speculation,” Hughes said. “I have not had any discussions regarding the GM position.”

Gorton is originally from Massachusetts and a former general manager of the Boston Bruins. Hughes, who grew up on the West Island of Montreal, has lived in the Boston area for over 20 years.

When Gorton was general manager of the New York Rangers, he selected Hughes’ son Riley in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Hughes’ other son, Jack, is a much-loved prospect for this year’s NHL Draft, which takes place in Montreal. Riley and Jack, both forwards, play at Northeastern University in Boston this season.

While growing up on the West Island of Montreal, Hughes played for the Lac St-Louis Midget Triple A Lions, where he was the team captain. He then played four seasons as a forward at Middlebury College in Vermont. Hughes led the team in scoring during his senior season with Middlebury in 1991-92, posting 15-48-63 totals in 26 games as team captain. He was inducted last year into the Middlebury College Hall of Fame.

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Hughes’ brother Ryan was selected by the Quebec Nordiques in the second round (22nd overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft, but only played three NHL games with the Bruins. Hughes’ parents still live on the West Island of Montreal.

Hughes, now part of Montreal-based Quartexx Management, has made a name for himself in the agent arena representing players from Quebec, starting with Vincent Lecavalier, the first pick in the 1998 NHL Draft. The ÃŽle-Bizard native enjoyed a 17-year NHL career, winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and the Maurice Richard Trophy in 2006-07 as he led the league with 52 goals . Lecavalier has earned more than US $ 114 million during his NHL career, according to CapFriendly.com.

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Hughes’ current client list includes Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Kris Letang and Mike Matheson of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marco Scandella of the St. Louis Blues and Sammy Blais of the New York Rangers, all born in Quebec. Hughes currently has 17 NHL players under contract, according to Puckpedia.com, including former Canadiens defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, now with the Winnipeg Jets. The total value of these contracts is just over US $ 279 million.

scowan@postmedia.com

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