How Much Would Canadiens’ Stars Cost if They Signed Extensions This Offseason?

Timing can make an enormous difference when signing players in the NHL. Over the last few years, Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has made a habit of getting ahead of the market and locking up important pieces of his young core before their value completely exploded. At the time, some of those contracts carried risk. Today, they are beginning to look like some of the most important moves Hughes has made since taking over in Montreal.

The NHL’s contract landscape has completely changed. Macklin Celebrini’s $18.8 million annual salary and Leo Carlsson’s $18 million deal have established a new level for young franchise players. So, what would happen if Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov all needed new contracts this summer? It would be extremely expensive.

Nick Suzuki

Suzuki’s eight-year, $63 million contract might be the best example of how quickly things can change. His $7.875 million cap hit once looked like a significant commitment to a young centre who had yet to establish himself among the NHL’s elite. That conversation is long gone.

Suzuki is now a Selke Trophy winner, Montreal’s captain and the unquestioned first-line centre of a team that has become a legitimate contender. He has also shown tremendous durability throughout his career while continuing to improve offensively.

If Suzuki were looking for an eight-year extension this summer, $10 million or $12 million wouldn’t even be the conversation anymore. With Celebrini earning $18.8 million and Carlsson at $18 million, Suzuki could realistically command somewhere between $16 million and $17 million annually. Montreal is paying him less than half of that. Having your first-line centre and Selke winner at $7.875 million is the type of contract that can completely change how a contender builds the rest of its roster.

Cole Caufield

Caufield wouldn’t reach Suzuki’s number, but Montreal would still be paying considerably more than his current $7.85 million cap hit. Pure goal scorers have tremendous value, and Caufield has established himself as the Canadiens’ biggest shooting threat. His chemistry with Suzuki has also made the duo one of the foundations of Montreal’s offense.

If Caufield needed a new contract this summer, something over $12 million annually would make plenty of sense. It might not be as spectacular a bargain as Suzuki’s contract, but getting a premier goal-scoring winger for less than $8 million remains excellent value.

Juraj Slafkovsky

The Canadiens took considerably more risk when they signed Slafkovsky to his eight-year, $60.8 million extension. At the time, Montreal was paying for what it believed Slafkovsky would become rather than what he already was. That bet is looking better every year. Slafkovsky has developed into an important part of Montreal’s top line and brings a combination of size, skill and physicality that isn’t easy to find. Most importantly, he is still young enough that there could be another level offensively.

If the Canadiens had waited and Slafkovsky needed a new contract today, his $7.6 million cap hit would be impossible to replicate. In the current market, an eight-year contract worth around $12 million annually would be a much more realistic expectation. That’s more than $4 million in potential annual savings for Montreal.

Lane Hutson

Then we get to the contracts that could have become really scary. Hutson has quickly developed into one of the faces of the Canadiens and one of the NHL’s premier offensive defensemen. He controls games with the puck, creates offense from the blue line and has already shown an ability to handle massive minutes.

Franchise defensemen rarely become available, and when teams find one, they pay to keep him. If Hutson needed to negotiate a long-term contract this summer, the Canadiens would probably be looking at something around $16 million annually. Almost twice as much as what he’s making. That’s the price of having a defenseman capable of becoming the engine of your entire blue line. Getting ahead of Hutson’s continued development could ultimately save Montreal an enormous amount of money over the life of his contract.

Ivan Demidov

Demidov would present a similar situation. The Canadiens knew they had a special offensive player when they drafted him, but his development has quickly turned him into one of the organization’s most important pieces. His creativity, puck skills and offensive ceiling give Montreal a potential superstar who could drive its second line for years while eventually becoming one of the league’s most productive forwards.

Had Hughes waited another year and allowed Demidov’s production to continue climbing, negotiations could have become much more complicated. With Celebrini and Carlsson resetting the market for young superstars, Demidov could easily be looking at something around $15 million annually if he needed a long-term contract today. That’s exactly why locking up elite young talent early can be so valuable.

Kent Hughes Got Ahead of the Market

Add those hypothetical numbers together and the picture becomes pretty remarkable. At today’s prices, Montreal could be looking at more than $70 million annually for those five players alone. Instead, Hughes got ahead of the market. Instead, those five players will be paid a bit over $41 million annually.

There was risk involved with every long-term commitment. Nobody knows exactly how a young player will develop, and paying for potential can backfire. But the Canadiens identified their core, trusted their development and acted before the rest of the NHL’s salary structure exploded.

Now, as Montreal enters a period where it should be competing for championships, those savings could become one of the organization’s biggest advantages. The Canadiens didn’t just lock up their stars. They locked them up before the price of stars completely changed.