Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes breaks silence on controversial trip to Russia amid ongoing tensions with Ukraine

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has responded to criticism regarding his recent trip to Russia during the ongoing war with Ukraine.

In December, Hughes, along with scout Nick Bobrov and special adviser Vincent Lecavalier, traveled to Russia to scout Ivan Demidov, the Canadiens' first-round draft pick currently with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL.

The trip faced significant backlash, but Hughes clarified that it was strictly for scouting purposes and that he does not regret visiting Russia. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the Montreal GM said (via Sportsnet).

"No regret. I think we were criticized mostly on the political side. For us this was about work."

In response to the criticism, Hughes pointed out that the Canadiens were not the only NHL team to make such a visit, as several other teams were also present in Russia during their trip.

"I can tell you that while we were in Russia there were several other teams that were there,” he said.

Hughes emphasized that the primary goal was to see Ivan Demidov play in person and to assess the player's progress. He also expressed his desire to have a face-to-face conversation with Demidov.

"The objective, first of all, was to see him play in person,” Hughes said. “It's definitely a unique case when you draft a player fifth overall and there's only one person in the organization who'd seen him in person. So I wanted to see him play,” Hughes said.

“I wanted to see where he was at with his game, talk to him again face-to-face."

It's worth noting that the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has banned Russia and Belarus from participating in international hockey competitions as a result of the conflict with Ukraine.

Additionally, the NHL has excluded Russia from the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. The Canadian government has also issued an advisory against traveling to Russia due to ongoing armed conflicts and associated terrorism risks.

Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis declined to comment about management's visit to Russia in December

Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis was asked about management's trip to Russia in December but said he would refrain from commenting on the issue.

"I'm not going to comment on that," Habs coach said.

The Montreal Canadiens will face the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Friday. They've won four of their last five games and currently sit sixth in the Atlantic Division with a record of 19-18-3 and 41 points.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.