The Montreal Canadiens took care of another important piece of business today. The Habs management group, led by Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, has been recognized for its outstanding work. A day after signing Lane Hutson to an extension, Montreal signed the duo to a five-year extension. Kent Hughes took over general manager duties from Marc Bergevin back in 2022. Gorton was hired two months earlier as the president of hockey operations. The two have worked closely over the past few years to rebuild the Canadiens in short order. Under their leadership, Montreal returned to the postseason in 2025 for the first time since their 2021 Stanley Cup final run.
5 years deal for Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. @CanadiensMTL
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 14, 2025
Montreal Canadiens Extend Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton
What It Means
Both Hughes and Gorton were in the final years of their previous deals. Despite Kent Hughes holding the official title of general manager, he and Gorton have worked in unison over the last several seasons. Hughes uses his expertise as a former player agent in contract negotiations, while Gorton handles the business side. Montreal fans have come to adore their new management duo due to the influx of talent, combined with the team-friendly deals they have brought into the organization long-term.
HuGo, as they’ve become known, hired head coach Martin St. Louis. Despite having no pro coaching experience, they felt confident in his abilities as a leader and mentor for the young group of Canadiens. This move has paid dividends as St. Louis is now a highly-regarded head coach around the league. They’ve since surrounded him with young talent such as Ivan Demidov, Lane Hutson, and Juraj Slafkovsky, amongst others. They are coming off a massive offseason, which included trading for Zachary Bolduc and Noah Dobson.
Montreal fans should be ecstatic that their management group will be around for the next half-decade. After many successful contract negotiations, the Canadiens management finally got paid themselves.
Main Photo Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
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