Kent Hughes is reportedly preparing his biggest move yet

Pavel Mintyukov's name is floating around the league this week, and the Canadiens are among the teams reportedly watching him closely.

That's a notable shift for Kent Hughes, who's stayed quiet in trade and free agent markets while quietly locking up his own kids.

Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes both signed extensions with a year still left on their deals, no urgency required on paper.

But Dobes could have drawn an offer sheet next season. Demidov could not have. Hughes clearly wasn't taking chances.

That caution looks smart this week. Leo Carlsson signed an offer sheet with the Flyers worth $18 million, and Anaheim is scrambling.

Cutter Gauthier is also an RFA and can't sign an offer sheet himself, but he's watching the Carlsson situation unfold in real time.

Mintyukov is in the same boat. He's an RFA who could sign elsewhere, and David Pagnotta reports several teams have interest, Montreal included.

Ducks' offer sheet fallout could open a trade window for Montreal

Here's the odd part. Mintyukov shoots left, and Montreal already has a stack of lefties on the blue line.

Lane Hutson put up 78 points in 82 games this season. Kaiden Guhle, Mike Matheson, Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj all shoot from the same side too.

Add Adam Engstrom, who's been getting AHL reps and looks ready to knock on the door. So why chase another left-shot defenseman?

Martin St-Louis didn't lean on Struble or Xhekaj much when it mattered most this season. That's not nothing for a coach building a real playoff group.

Watch the clip below. Mintyukov squares up on Matvei Michkov after a scrum, fists half-raised, and Michkov just skates away shaking his head.

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That's the game Mintyukov plays. He's 22, he's got 22 points in 73 games this season, and he plays with an edge that's rare for a young defenseman.

But grabbing a left-shot rearguard only makes sense for Montreal if it means moving one out. That's the real question here, not whether Mintyukov can play.

Pat Verbeek has bigger problems than one blueliner right now. If Mintyukov walks via offer sheet, a sign-and-trade for futures and a left-shot piece might beat getting nothing back.

Would the Canadiens actually give up Struble or Xhekaj to make it work? Nobody's said that publicly yet, and that's exactly where this gets interesting.