Ivan Demidov’s next contract already looks like a bargain for the Montreal Canadiens, and now there’s a little more context behind why it came in where it did. According to his agent, Dan Milstein, Demidov pushed to get the deal done quickly and willingly gave up money so Montreal could keep building around him.
“His exact words were, ‘We’re in a great situation. I feel like we’re going to be winning for many years.’ He wanted to leave money on the table so (Montreal) can sign other players.”
That’s a pretty striking line for a player who had every reason to squeeze the market. Demidov’s eight-year deal carries a $9.15 million annual average value, and it already stood out when it was signed.
Since then, the market around young stars has only gotten louder. Cale Makar signed for $20.4 million annually, Leo Carlsson landed at $18 million per season, Connor Bedard got $15 million, and Macklin Celebrini came in at $18.8 million annually.
Milstein thinks the real payday is still down the road. “My client, at the age of 28 or 29, will be able to sign whatever deal’s available at the time,” he said.
“That will probably be four or five times bigger than what it is today.” Demidov has only 84 career games under his belt, but after scoring 19 goals and 62 points in his rookie season, he seems comfortable betting on himself and on where the Canadiens are headed.
His contract also includes an $11.5 million signing bonus and a 10-team no-trade clause.
Out in Winnipeg, Connor Hellebuyck trade chatter may be tougher to turn into anything real than it was earlier in the offseason. Elliotte Friedman said the Jets are not in a hurry to move the goaltender, but the list of teams that had interest before has gotten thinner. Florida was one of them, but the Panthers used much of their trade capital to bring in Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators.
Winnipeg also had conversations with Buffalo before the draft. The ask, according to the report, was the Sabres’ fourth-overall pick while the Jets kept their own first-rounder, but Buffalo passed.
Friedman also noted that no-trade lists can shift on July 1, which could change the pool again. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been mentioned as a possible piece of a return, but his five-team no-trade clause kicked in July 1.
So if a Hellebuyck deal happens, it may not happen quickly.
And then there’s Cutter Gauthier, whose next contract with the Anaheim Ducks is shaping up to be massive. Friedman said talks may have moved forward, but the final number is expected to be “really, really big.” After a breakout season, Gauthier has become one of the central pieces of Anaheim’s young core, joining Leo Carlsson, Beckett Sennecke and Lukas Dostal.
The Ducks have roughly $9.07 million in cap space once the regular season begins, though they can exceed the salary cap by as much as 10% during the offseason, which gives them about $19.4 million in room to work with on Gauthier’s extension. The number won’t stay that high, but it could still end up well above the $13 million he’s rumored to have turned down.
Anaheim will still need to get under the $104 million ceiling before opening night, and Friedman suggested that some “roster surgery” may be necessary to make everything fit. Chris Kreider being moved, he said, feels like the most logical path.
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Ducks And Cutter Gauthier Are Headed For A Cap Fight
The Ducks still have not reached a contract extension with Cutter Gauthier, and the money picture around the talks is getting murkier by the day. One set of reports has Anaheim working with about $9 million in available cap space, but analyst Nicolas Cloutier says the club actually has $19.4 million to work with, a difference that changes how much room there is to build a long-term fit around one of the organizations most important young forwards.
Even with that uncertainty, the sense around the negotiations is that progress is being made. Elliotte Friedman has reported movement and suggested the next deal will carry a significant price tag, while the cap question keeps hanging over the finish line. Frank Seravalli has pointed to the constraints as a reason the sides could settle on something shorter first, leaving Anaheim to balance urgency now with the bigger-picture decision on Gauthiers future. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Goalie Prospect Damian Clara Is Forcing A Bigger Conversation
Damian Clara spent much of the past season building the kind of resume that makes a prospect worth talking about beyond the usual goalie-development caveats. The Ducks 2023 draftee split time between Brynas IF in the SHL, San Diego in the AHL and Team Italys international stages, and the year gave Anaheim a useful look at how he handled different levels, different pressures and different styles of hockey. He even got into the AHL playoffs, which only added to the sense that his development is moving at a pace the organization has reason to monitor closely.
The more interesting part for Anaheim is how Claras play kept pointing upward even when the circumstances around him were uneven. His work in Sweden suggested real progress, and his appearances for Italy at the Winter Olympics and World Championships showed a goaltender willing to carry a heavy load on bigger stages. With another season approaching, the Ducks now have a prospect whose path is no longer just about patience, but about how soon he can force his way into a crowded picture in North America. [Read more 🡒]