For so long, the Habs have had one of the biggest payrolls in the NHL. In fact, I can’t even remember a time when Montreal wasn’t in the top-10 in this category.
Finally, recent contract expirations and trades are making Kent Hughes and his group breathe a little easier.
Taking a look at Cap Friendly this evening, I noticed that the club ranks 24th in the NHL in terms of projected payroll. That makes it the 9th smallest in the NHL.
The Caps, with a payroll of over $100 million, the Golden Knights and the Flyers are on the podium for the highest projected payrolls. Montreal isn’t too far from the top-15, and the organization still has Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj to sign.
In fact, almost a week after the free agent market opened, we have reason to wonder why they still haven’t been signed.
But getting back to the payroll, it’s good to see the Habs not choking on their big contracts. Several big contracts remain on the team’s books (Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson), but those of Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak expire in less than a fiscal year.
And if both forwards get off to a good start this season, Hughes could get rid of their contracts sooner rather than later.
Those two contracts may leave the payroll next year, but Juraj Slafkovsky’s $7.6 million will. And I’d like to think that, with the cap increase and the money available, the GM will spend a little more than he did this summer. So far, he hasn’t been the most active in terms of signings. He’s made deals with Slaf, Alex Barré-Boulet and that’s about it.
By 2025, big fish will be free as a bird.
