2023-08-03 16:07:26
As you know, one of the reasons for the rebuilding of the Canadiens is the salary cap. After all, without a salary cap, the CH could just give big contracts to good players and free up dead wood.
Kind of like the New York Mets, who have– bad example: it didn’t (really) work there.
New York retains more than $156 million for traded, released or bought-out players.
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) August 3, 2023
Still, the salary cap is a factor, but the desire to have one of the NHL’s hottest prospects is also what keeps Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton patient.
And clearly, when you see all the young people growing, you can see that it pays off. Or at least it has the potential to pay off.
The more time passes, the more young people will develop. But above all, the more time passes, the less the bad contracts of the Canadian are heavy in the eyes of the members of the organization.
After all, in addition to the rising cap, heavy contracts fade or become easier to trade.
In the facts, by summer 2025, the Canadiens will have plenty of unrestricted free agents. Some will be resigned, of course, but others will leave the Canadiens.
Next year, five NHL players will be UFA. And in 2025, we are talking about seven players.
Mike Hoffman (2024)
Sean Monahan (2024)
Rem Pitlick (2024)
Chris Wideman (2024)
Samuel Montembeault (2024)
Christian Dvorak (2025)
Joel Armia (2025)
Jake Evans (2025)
Michael Pezzetta (2025)
David Savard (2025)
Johnathan Kovacevic (2025)
Jake Allen (2025)
Carey Price (LTIR) and Mike Matheson will be free in 2026, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson will be free in 2027 and several players will, in the meantime, be restricted free agents.
And obviously Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki are in town to stay.
Obviously, the portrait of these free agents will change depending on trades, buyouts, contract extensions and everything that can happen in the NHL.
But the moral is that the CH will have flexibility. At what point?
In fact, if we combine the probable increase in the salary cap next summer (by around $4.5 million), the slack in Carey Price’s contract and the current state of the contracts, the CH will have the means to have fun next summer.
According to Hart Levine, who created PuckPedia, the CH could potentially have $26 million in slack next summer.
READ | The truth about the situation #CH vis-à-vis the salary cap ????⚪????
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) August 3, 2023
Remember that next summer, the CH wants to start winning more often. This year, the goal is to progress, but in 12 months, the club will really want to fight for a season leading them in the playoffs.
If all goes well, that’s a reasonable timeline.
We have seen how Kent Hughes can build the foundation of a club. In a year, we’ll see if he’s good at renovating the team’s kitchen (to stay on house terms)… and eventually, we’ll see how he’ll decorate the house and put the finishing touches on it.
It’s going to be exciting, all that.
A lot of
– Great news.
Annie Larouche thus becomes the first woman president of a Montreal professional sports team ???????????? pic.twitter.com/mF7Z85smwy
— RDS (@RDSca) August 3, 2023
– I like this.
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) August 3, 2023
– We get along.
Radko Gudas didn’t want to join a Canadian team when he was a free agent because of the pressure. As noted @Richardlabbenot all players think that way…
The complete chronicle with @MaxLalonde_⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CdGijwEyAG
— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) August 3, 2023
– Juraj Slakkovsky must have good playing partners. [BPM Sports]
– He’s still young.
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#Canadian #million #spend #summer