Kent Hughes and the Canadiens face bizarre accusations just weeks into their offseason
Chase Reid and Caleb Malhotra found themselves at the center of a strange Montreal Canadiens story after a draft combine interview sparked fresh debate.
Just weeks before the NHL Draft, Montreal reportedly gave several prospects a simple challenge during evaluation meetings: take a puck, pick any spot in the room, and try to land it in a garbage can.
It sounds harmless on the surface.
But the story took off once word got out that two prospects still missed the target.
According to Marco D'Amico, Reid and Malhotra were the two players involved.
Both are viewed as legitimate draft prospects and remain firmly on the radar for NHL clubs.
They could throw from anywhere in the room, and, if they missed, MTL wouldn't draft them.
Pressure test, if you may.
Reid and Caleb Malhotra went to the end of the room and missed."
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What made the moment stand out wasn't the setup itself. It was the layer added to it.
The prospects were reportedly told that if they missed the shot, Montreal wouldn't draft them. That turned a basic toss into an instant pressure test.
A simple drill turned into a character test
That's why this story has drawn such a strong reaction across the hockey world. Some fans saw it as ridiculous, while others viewed it as a smart way to study poise.
The Canadiens likely weren't trying to learn anything from the puck landing in the can.
They were trying to see how a player handled an odd situation with pressure attached.
Did he laugh it off? Did he overthink it?
Did he try to make the shot harder than it needed to be? Those details can say plenty in a draft room.
That lines up with how teams now approach the combine.
Physical tools still matter, but front offices also want a better read on decision-making, composure, and personality.
Montreal has made culture a major part of its rebuild. Character, competitiveness, and self-control have all become part of the organization's language in recent years.
So the result of the toss may have mattered less than the reaction after it. In that setting, the test was never really about aim.
That's why the story stuck. It's weird, funny, and very on brand for a Canadiens market that turns every draft wrinkle into a full conversation.
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YESTERDAY
JUNE 4, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Brett Howden | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mark Jankowski | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Staal | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||