MONTREAL — This was Kent Hughes’ job from the start, if he wanted it. That became clearer and clearer with every day that passed after Elliotte Friedman first reported on Hockey Night in Canada ‘s 32 Thoughts segment that the Montreal Canadiens were interested in Hughes potentially becoming the 18th general manager in franchise history. On Dec. 3, 2021, a day before Friedman advanced Hughes’ name, Jeff Gorton held his first media availability as executive vice-president of Canadiens hockey operations and suggested an agent could best complement his skill set as GM. Six weeks later, the one Gorton had in mind locked into the role for five years. It was going to take that type of commitment from Canadiens owner Geoff Molson to lure Hughes away from the agency he helped build. The 51-year-old, who co-ran Quartexx Management with Darren Ferris and Giordano Saputo up until Monday, had an active client list worth close to $300 million, and he was initially reticent to give that up — al...