Kent Hughes stole Michael Hage from the Maple Leafs at the 2024 Draft
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Kent Hughes pulled one over on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2024 Draft, and we’re starting to realize just how significant the move was.
The excellent Marco D’Amico revealed that the Leafs wanted to draft Michael Hage with their first-round pick.
Toronto held the 23rd overall pick.
The Montreal Canadiens were selecting 26th.
Hughes moved up to 21st overall (via trade with the Los Angeles Kings) to grab Hage before anyone else could.
The Leafs never saw it coming.
After realizing the Montreal Canadiens had cut them off, Toronto decided to trade back to 31st overall to select defenseman Ben Danford.
The Montreal Canadiens stole Michael Hage from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2024 Draft
Hughes likely knew certain teams had Hage in their sights, and he wasn’t afraid to act.
That’s the kind of decision that can define an organization for years.
Hage is now considered one of the NHL’s top prospects.
A center with offensive talent and an increasingly complete overall game.
And not only did the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager land a highly talented player, but he also managed to hurt one of Toronto’s biggest rivals in the process.
Another reason why this is interesting information today: it gives a strong clue regarding the Matthew Knies situation.
If the Toronto Maple Leafs ever decide to trade Knies this summer, it’s easy to guess they’ll ask for Michael Hage in return, and it’s easy to guess they value Hage extremely highly.
It’ll be an interesting situation to watch, especially knowing Hage refused to join the Canadiens immediately.
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Kent Hughes stole Michael Hage from the Maple Leafs at the 2024 Draft
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