Canadiens GM Kent Hughes used his exit interview to talk about the Leafs and nobody is surprised

Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes name-dropped the Maple Leafs in his exit interview as the rivalry between the two teams is still in full-swing.

Kent Hughes had the chance to talk to the media during his exit press conference and decided to name drop both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner while also taking a shot at the Toronto media who relentlessly hounded Marner for his lack of playoff performance. It's just another layer added to the legendary rivalry between the Habs and Leafs.

The Canadiens were dominated handily by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals after the Hurricanes found some serious firepower from names like Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake in addition to stars like Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

Kent Hughes defended Mitch Marner and threw shade at the Toronto media in the process

It shows that having a well-balanced system is the key to success, but it also drew the ire of Canadiens GM Kent Hughes. Taking time during his exit interview, he not only praised Carolina's depth, but also decided to take a shot at the Maple Leafs and Mitch Marner in the process:

Being here in Canada there's a narrative going into the Cup Final on the belief that certain players in Toronto couldn't perform in the playoffs.

One playoff season doesn't reflect another. I think Mitch Marner sitting atop of the playoff scoring race proves it - and it's not just offensively, it's how he's contributing to their entire team. If you look at who we faced, those three teams.

It wasn't necessarily their best scorers. It was Stankoven, Blake and Hall; that wasn't the case in the regular season. We've just gotta get better, period.

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It was a triple whammy from Hughes, simultaneously praising Marner and the Hurricanes while also belittling Toronto. There is certainly an onus on pressure in Toronto about players being unable to perform but the Maple Leafs aren't the only team who are under that stress.

Toronto isn't the only team who is under pressure, but they're certainly the most prominent

Just look at Montreal, who could have serious concerns about Cole Caufield's playoff ability as he didn't step up when needed, but at least he was better than guys like Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov who had a combined four points - I don't think Habs fans are exactly feeling peachy right now.

Even Ottawa had the same issues with Brady Tkachuk as he disappeared completely during the Senators first round defeat to the Hurricanes. It seems like whatever Carolina is putting out there just simply neutralizes anything stars try to do.

Then you have Edmonton sitting there wondering what went wrong after they were stunned by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round as well. This is not a Toronto issue, it's a Canada-wide one.

Now, I'm not placing blame on anyone but this is certainly in part to do with how proud we are as Canadians; especially when it comes to hockey. It's our game, our passion, and something we've dominated in for over a century.

All of a sudden the tide has turned drastically, with it being over 30 years since a Canadian team hoisted the Stanley Cup. That culture shock is going to make fans upset, especially when you're oh so close to glory yet get snuffed out at the last second.

It's the same as the Olympics, World Juniors, or any international competition. We have immense pride and loyalty to our country that when we feel we've gotten the short end of the stick, or if the ones trusted to lead them to success end up failing - we're frustrated, angry, and disappointed.

It's how Montreal and Kent Hughes feels after being defeated and there's no other choice but to just be better next year.

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