Sources: Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens are closing in on a major trade

Arber Xhekaj's grip on a regular blue-line job with the Montreal Canadiens looks shakier by the day.

Pierre McGuire dropped a line on the Toronto Sports Rush podcast this week that Habs fans can't ignore.

He compared the Canadiens directly to the Maple Leafs, saying Kent Hughes is about to follow Toronto's lead.

"The Maple Leafs made a few changes, and I think the Canadiens are about to do the same." That's McGuire, word for word.

No player name. No position. No timeline. Just a claim from a guy who still has strong sources in Montreal, even if he admits Detroit isn't one of them anymore.

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Hughes has been quiet all summer. Outside of trading Brendan Gallagher, the Canadiens roster hasn't moved much since June.

That quiet stretch is exactly why McGuire's comment landed the way it did. This team needs a top-six scorer, not more depth.

Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies headline the trade buzz

Names like Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies have circulated around the Canadiens all summer. Neither is a depth piece.

Hughes already has plenty of bottom-six support. What Montreal actually needs is a proven scorer who slots straight into the top two lines.

So where does that leave Arber Xhekaj? He posted 4 points in 65 games last season, with a minus-8 rating and a cap hit of $1,300,000.

Those are the numbers of a player who's become expendable. Martin St-Louis hasn't shown much trust in him lately, and it shows in his usage.

If Montreal packages picks or futures for a scoring winger, Xhekaj is the kind of name that gets thrown in to make the money work. It's not a reach. It's the logical outcome.

But the timing matters. A defenseman on the roster bubble, a GM who's been unusually silent, and now a well-connected analyst saying change is coming.