Habs GM Hughes 'not looking to make a fire sale' following Chiarot trade

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes made two major trades in the last few weeks but dimmed expectations for any blockbuster deals ahead of Monday's trade deadline.

While Hughes said he wouldn't turn away calls from other GMs before Monday's 3 p.m. EST deadline but isn't committed to giving away his players.

"I don't want to say that we're looking to move on from specific players right now," Hughes said Thursday. "If we get phone calls on a trade that will make sense for us we will definitely consider it."

"I've said it before, and I told the players, we're not looking to make a fire sale here."

On Feb. 14, Hughes traded Tyler Toffoli to the Calgary Flames for a 2022 first-round draft choice (which is top-10 protected), a 2024 fifth-round pick, forward Tyler Pitlick and prospect Emil Heineman.

Hughes traded away Ben Chiarot to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2022 fourth-round pick and prospect Tyler Smilanic.

Hughes is happy with the return on the Chiarot trade, which he called "the best deal we could do" at this point in time. Having a second first-round pick in the highly sought-after 2023 NHL Draft was also a priority for Montreal.

" (Florida) didn't have their first-round pick this year but in reality, even with other teams we were asking for a 2023 first-round pick," Hughes said. "We already have three picks in the first 35 selections this year and we also have 13 picks in total so that was a part of the conversations."

Hughes admitted to still be working on the possibility to ease his team's cap flexibility. A storyline ahead of the deadline is the potential of moving Shea Weber's contract. The Habs captain has been on long-term injury reserve since the start of the