Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes continues to work hard behind the scenes to create a buzz in the draft.

“Hughes has several discussions with his colleagues about transaction scenarios, reported Darren Dreger on radio TSN 690, Friday. It’s possible for the Canadiens to make a big trade, but it has to fit their long-term plan, whether it’s acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois or getting lost in the draft.

Recently, there has been talk of the CH potentially moving up to the draft, possibly Will Smith’s draft, but Hughes could also choose to back down if he doesn’t intend to pick Matvei Michkov in season five.

According to Dreger, discussions about whether to move forward or backward “would have stalled,” but it’s not out of the question that they could resume as D-Day approaches in Nashville.

Michkov’s presence in the country’s city could help the CH decide. Keep in mind that the Russian’s agent has scheduled talks with several teams deciding in the top 10 ahead of the repechage.

The Canadiens have been known to make life difficult for prospects in job interviews, and Dreger wonders if they could bully Michkov to see what he has to offer.

“I’m assuming the Canadiens amateur scouting team went through all available videos of Michkov to make sure they know him well when it comes to hockey. It starts with hockey and then it’s time to get to know his personality by meeting him in person. I can tell you that Canadians are not soft on young people when interviewing; You can imagine some of the questions they asked Shane Wright last year. It’s part of the process.”

The National Hockey League draft will take place on June 28th and 29th and will be presented on TVA Sports.