Canadiens hope to take a step next season, but not at expense of long-term plan

BROSSARD, Que. — The Montreal Canadiens' brass is committed to reversing the team’s trend of missing the playoffs. But general manager Kent Hughes and executive vice-president Jeff Gorton won’t deviate from their long-term plans to do so. "We don't have a lineup to win the Stanley Cup, and everyone here is aware of that," Hughes said Wednesday, as players cleaned out their lockers at Montreal’s practice facility. "And it's Jeff's and my responsibility to do everything we can to change that. But