Kent Hughes keeps finding ways to make the Canadiens look sharp on the salary-cap side, and the latest comparison with Chicago only sharpens that picture.
The numbers are hard to miss. Lane Hutson is set to earn $8.85 million per season on an eight-year deal, while Ivan Demidov will come in at $9.15 million annually on another eight-year contract. Together, that gives Montreal an $18 million cap hit per season beginning in 2027-28.
Now stack that against the Blackhawks’ side of the ledger. Bowen Byram is tied to $12.5 million per season over six years, and Connor Bedard is at $15 million over five years. That puts Chicago at $27.5 million per season for the pair.
The difference is $9.5 million, and the source of that gap is straightforward: Montreal has locked in its young core at a much lower price than Chicago has for comparable production on the ice.
That’s the kind of margin that changes how a roster gets built. Chicago is paying top dollar for its young stars now, while Montreal has kept its core at a far more manageable number.
For the Canadiens, that extra $9.5 million could matter a lot when it comes time to chase another impact player for the top six. It’s another example of Hughes giving Montreal real breathing room while other teams commit bigger chunks of cap space to their young talent.
That’s a major win for the Canadiens, and another reminder that Hughes’ contract work is becoming one of the clearest strengths in the NHL.
In Other News...
Canadiens Face A Pricey Adam Fantilli Decision They Can't Ignore
Montreals center picture already looks crowded enough for next season, with Nick Suzuki, Oliver Kapanen, Jake Evans and Phillip Danault expected to hold down the middle and Kirby Dach still in the mix as another option. Even so, the Canadiens are keeping an eye on a bigger swing if the opportunity ever opens up, and that means watching the situation in Columbus closely as Adam Fantilli works through his contract talks with the Blue Jackets.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: Fantilli is the kind of young center who can change a lineups ceiling. The problem is just as obvious, too. Any serious run at him would come with a steep price, and the kind of move that could pry him loose would not be a simple cap maneuver or a minor trade adjustment. It would be the sort of commitment that forces a team to decide how badly it wants to chase a franchise piece. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Bruins Trade Chance Fans Will Debate
Bostons decision to lock up Fraser Minten on a seven-year extension has added a new wrinkle to a situation Montreal will be watching closely. With that piece of business done, the Bruins may be more open to listening on Pavel Zacha, and the Canadiens have reportedly shown interest as they look to address a roster need. Any conversation between division rivals would be unusual enough on its own, but it also comes with the kind of negotiation baggage that tends to make these ideas easier to discuss than to complete.
For Montreal, the appeal is obvious: Zacha would bring a useful middle-six presence and give the club another option in a spot it wants to strengthen. For Boston, moving a veteran forward in the right deal could make sense if the roster reshuffle continues to tilt in Mintens direction. The real question is whether two teams that rarely deal with one another can find a framework that both sides can live with, because the history between them suggests this would take more than a passing phone call. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Hutson Just Added To A Canadiens Debate Fans Love
Corey Pronmans latest 2022 NHL Draft re-ranking gave Canadiens fans plenty to chew on, especially because it centered on the same class that already shapes so much of the teams future conversation. Juraj Slafkovsky stayed at No. 1 in Pronmans view, and the exercise was built around long-term upside rather than a simple do-over of draft night, which is why these lists tend to ignite the kind of debates that linger well beyond the original selection.
The most intriguing part for Montreal is Lane Hutsons rise from a second-round pick to a level usually reserved for the drafts elite, joining Cutter Gauthier in the upper tier of the re-rank. Logan Cooley landed ahead of him, which only adds another layer to the discussion about how teams should value skill, projection and development, and why the Canadiens draft haul remains such a favorite topic whenever these rankings surface. [Read more 🡒]