Canadiens Connection
What’s Next for the Canadiens? Interpreting Kent Hughes’ Vision | Canadiens Connection ep 382
10 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What recent successes have the Montreal Canadiens achieved?
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Welcome to your Canadians Connection on Rocket Sports Radio. This premier hockey podcast featured at canadiansconnection.fm brings you the latest news, in-depth analysis, and expert commentary about the NHL's most storied franchise, the Montreal Canadiens, hosted by Rick Stephens and Amy Johnson.
Our team of credentialed journalists provides behind-the-scenes insight on the Canadiens, designed to inform... entertain, and engage Habs fans around the globe. We are proud to be the trusted source for all things Habs for more than a decade. This is the Canadians Connection Podcast.
Well, hello, everyone, and welcome to this week's edition of the Canadians Connection podcast right here on Rocket Sports Radio, where we each and every week keep you informed, keep you engaged, keep you entertained while we talk about the Montreal Canadiens. And boy, we've got a lot to dive into this week. My name is Amy Johnson. I'm going to be your host on today's show.
This is episode 382 of the Canadians Connection podcast.
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Chapter 2: What is Kent Hughes' vision for the Canadiens' future?
And this week's episode is titled, What's Next for the Canadians? Interpreting Kent Hughes' message. Because, as I welcome in and say hello to my wonderful co-host, who is our founder and president of Rocket Sports, Rick Stevens. Rick, it was Kent Hughes' big January press conference this week.
Well, it must have been a pleasure to come to the podium and answer questions, media questions this past week for Kent Hughes because his Montreal Canadiens are, as we go to air, sitting first in the Atlantic Division. Big game tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. They're near the top of the Eastern Conference.
And yeah, Kent Hughes got to talk about what's going well and what's next, I guess, for the Canadians in the second half and beyond that.
That's right. Before we get to that, though, let's just give you a quick rundown of what to expect on today's show. In our first segment, it's our Week in Review, where we briefly recap the games that the Canadians played over the course of the past week, give you any updates on the roster in terms of injuries or transactions or signings, give you an idea of any...
Notable changes to the line combinations. We always take a look at the Habs prospect report, and we've got some great information for you there. Some very fun things happening for some of our prospects for the Montreal Canadiens.
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Chapter 3: How are Canadiens fans reacting to Kent Hughes' comments?
And then, of course, we wrap up our week in review segment with hockey notes from around Montreal. the world of hockey, whether it's the NHL or the Olympics and those types of things. We do have some notable headlines that we wanted to touch on in that segment for this week as well. All of that, of course, leads up to our big topic, which is segment two.
And this week's big topic is Kent Hughes' vision for the Canadian second half and beyond. And so we are going to take audio clips from Kent Hughes' kind of
Usually does this right after the holidays towards the beginning of beginning to middle of January, where he kind of does a state of the team press conference and talks about his thoughts on how the first half of the season have gone and and looks ahead to to where they go from here.
And so we're going to bring you some audio clips from that and some statements from that and some of the topics that he discussed at that press conference and break them down for you. Analyze what he said a little bit. Give you our thoughts on on. reading between the lines a bit here and there. And he had some interesting things to say. So you're going to want to hear this for sure.
Finally, in our third segment, that is where we let you have your say. Each week, we're going to give you a Canadians Connection question of the week that we want you to send in your responses to.
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Chapter 4: What are the Canadiens' current roster challenges?
And of course, in our third segment, we pick out the best replies that we have received from the previous week's question, and we share them with all of you. And so we've got some great responses this week that we're looking forward to bringing your way. So the way to...
Get a chance to have one of your thoughts or statements or questions read on the air is by sending in your thoughts a couple of different ways. You can do that on the Rocket Sports text line. That's 5853ROCKET. Again, that's 5853ROCKET. You can also leave a comment on our YouTube channel, InsideTheCanadians.com.
You can leave a comment on Spotify if that is how you choose to listen to the podcast. And we did have some Spotify comments this week. So thank you to anyone who has been dropping comments on that platform. And you can also hit us up on social media. Just tag at Habs Connection on X on Facebook or on Instagram. And you'll be right on your way.
And be sure you follow at Habs Connection while you're at it.
Chapter 5: Which Canadiens prospects are making headlines this season?
So let's start with the games. There have been four games played by the Montreal Canadiens since our last episode, going all the way back to last Saturday. Remember, they had that four o'clock afternoon game in St. Louis. Jacob Fowler getting the start in this game. Jordan Binnington at the other end of the ice because of how Jordan Binnington has been playing this season.
I decided to bench him on the rocket sports fantasy hockey team that I have him on. And so naturally that meant that Jordan Biddington got a shutout. It's all your fault on my bench.
And I think part of it, too, is Jordan Binnington was named to the Canadian Olympic squad, and he showed why there, I suppose. But the Canadians had come into this game with a seven-game point streak and just couldn't really... Well, it's not that they couldn't generate opportunities. They couldn't finish opportunities. They just didn't look ready to start. An odd start time, as you mentioned.
Chapter 6: What recent games have influenced the Canadiens' standings?
And they just didn't seem into this particular game. The Canadians went zero for four on the power play. They had a five-on-three advantage for a minute and a half, more than a minute and a half, couldn't score. And we've heard Nick Suzuki talk about doesn't understand why they have a harder time scoring with a two-man advantage than they do with the single-man advantage.
Josh Anderson did not play in this game. Owen Beck inserted into the lineup, and Owen Beck has stayed there. We haven't seen Josh Anderson. We'll talk about the injury situation in a little bit. But yeah, Josh Anderson went out the game before and did not play against the St. Louis Blues.
So that game was the first of a back-to-back. They, as we talked about last week, playing their fifth consecutive Sunday game. This one in Dallas. Sam Montembeau getting the start in net against Dallas.
Chapter 7: How is the Canadiens' coaching staff viewed this season?
And this time they not only got the extra point, but they got two points. Montreal winning 4-3 against the Stars in overtime. Lane Hudson with the big OT game-winning goal.
Yeah, just a minute, just over a minute, minute 10, minute 20 left in overtime. And that was Lane Hudson with that overtime goal. The other goal scorers were Gallagher, Kapanen, and Slavkovsky got a power play goal. Sam Montemo made the start. He was okay.
The goal he gave up on two Maverick Bork wraparound, as we know, his athleticism has been criticized, his ability to go post to post, and he didn't look good on that one. Then there was another goal. Wyatt Johnson got two goals for the Dallas Stars. One of them... Mike Matheson. Mike Matheson's having trouble competing with opposition players around the net.
And Mike Matheson was right there, did not do anything.
Chapter 8: What trade targets align with Kent Hughes' vision for the Canadiens?
But in this case, it was the Canadians that helped their goaltender and got the two points for the win.
Then they had, that was the end of their road trip, by the way. They then came back to Montreal, had a couple of days because they didn't play until Wednesday. Last week I said, you know what? They're playing on my birthday on the 7th, on Wednesday the 7th. Let's see if they can't get me a win and wouldn't you know it? Another four goals. Calgary only putting up one.
Won this one 4-1 with Jacob Fowler in the net and looking, just beaming. grinning from ear to ear.
Yeah, he had a good time that night.
I think everybody did.
Yeah, it was a pretty complete win for the Canadians. The Calgary Flames, as everybody knows, are struggling. That was their third straight loss at the Bell Centre. The Bell Centre was just rocking, and everybody was talking about the Bell Centre wave, where... Surprisingly, the game center people turned down the music and the fans took over singing and the bell center wave went around.
And Jacob Fowler was beaming ear to ear. He really enjoyed that. And after the game, he said, quote, it was crazy. They had the wave going, just bananas. This place was going crazy. It's like every time I play here, it's like that. It's like a new level it reached. each time. So he was having fun. The Canadians were having fun.
Alexander Texe had three points in this game and a very complete victory for Montreal.
Yes. Then another back to back because Thursday night they played again, playing Florida this time on home ice. And I don't know what it is, but we've said this before. Montreal just has the Florida Panthers number. I just don't know how they keep doing it. But a whopping six to two victory over the Panthers. Granted, Florida is missing a lot of guys out of their lineup.
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