The Canadiens have spent years building around contracts that already look sharp. Now, with the league projecting a major cap jump, those deals look even better.
Elliotte Friedman dropped the latest wrinkle on his 32 Thoughts podcast after the Board of Governors meetings in New York this week, saying the league is projecting a $127.5 million salary cap for the 2028-29 season. That would be a $14 million increase from the 2027-28 projection and, according to the report, the biggest jump in the salary cap era.
That kind of rise changes the way Montreal’s roster math looks in a hurry. The Canadiens’ former top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky all carry annual values between $7.6 million and $7.875 million, which suddenly feels like a bargain in a league where the price of elite talent keeps climbing.
Ivan Demidov’s new $9.15 million annual deal, set to begin next season, pushed beyond the club’s usual structure, but the cap growth makes that number look far more manageable. It still comes in well below the monster money handed out to Leo Carlsson, whose deal sits at $18 million per year, as well as the recent contracts for Cutter Gauthier and Adam Fantilli.
The savings become even more striking when you look at the blue line. Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson are both locked in through the 2032-33 and 2033-34 seasons, respectively, and together they carry a combined average of $18.35 million. That’s more than $2 million less than what Cale Makar will make per season, and also below the level expected for players like Quinn Hughes and Matthew Schaefer.
The timing works out nicely for Montreal, too. The Canadiens are set to get two seasons with a higher cap before Nick Suzuki’s contract runs out after 2029-30.
One year later, Cole Caufield becomes eligible for an extension. By then, the club could also be sorting out the futures of Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Gleb Pugachyov, and Alexander Zharovsky, depending on how those players develop.
For now, though, the main point is simple: Montreal doesn’t appear headed for a cap squeeze anytime soon. If the team makes no major additions before then, it could have more than $46 million available for the 2028-29 season, with its core already secured for at least two more seasons.
And if fans are already thinking about a title window, the two years after that projected cap spike stand out. The 2028 offseason could also bring a massive free-agent class, with Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Zach Werenski among the names potentially available. If any of them hit the market and start looking for the best path to a championship, Montreal would have a strong case.
In Other News...
Former Canadiens Are Suddenly Fighting For Their NHL Futures
A cluster of familiar names hit waivers on Sept. 25, turning what is usually a routine roster squeeze into a reminder of how quickly NHL careers can shift. Joshua Roy, Jordan Harris, Sean Farrell and Corey Schueneman were among the players exposed, and for Canadiens fans, the list carries extra weight because these are all skaters who had been part of Montreals pipeline or recent roster picture.
Roy, Harris and Farrell had already been moved on from by Montreal earlier this offseason or in recent years, which makes this latest round of roster churn feel less like a surprise than a checkpoint. Add in Marc Del Gaizo and William Trudeau, both of whom were with the Laval Rocket last season and were placed on waivers by the New York Rangers, and the wider picture gets clearer: former Canadiens and recent organization pieces are suddenly fighting to keep their NHL paths alive. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Linked To Kirby Dach As Bigger Roster Questions Loom
The Canadiens roster picture keeps widening beyond Montreal, and Kirby Dach has suddenly become part of that larger conversation. Around the league, teams are watching how contenders and cap-conscious clubs position themselves with the NHLs salary ceiling set to keep climbing, a trend that could reshape how front offices approach player deals in the years ahead.
For Montreal, Dach sits in the middle of a bigger valuation question than just one player or one contract. Interest from outside clubs is only adding to the intrigue around how the Canadiens see his role and how other teams see his upside, especially as trade chatter and contract strategy start to overlap with a cap environment that should look very different by the end of the decade. [Read more 🡒]
Florian Xhekaj Is Making The Canadiens Opening Night Decision Tough
Florian Xhekaj has turned a straightforward roster conversation into one of the more interesting camp questions around the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki and Phillip Danault have both offered strong backing for the young forward, pointing to the way he plays and, in Danaults case, the faceoff ability that can matter so much when coaches start sorting out the bottom of the lineup. Around the organization, the support has been building too, with Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis also noting his consistency and presence.
For a player trying to force his way onto the opening-night roster, that kind of attention matters, especially this late in camp. Xhekaj has given the Canadiens enough to think about that the decision no longer looks routine, and the preseason finale now looms as the place where he can make one last impression before the final call is made. [Read more 🡒]