More than the fact that the Montreal Canadiens made the playoffs, more than the trades GM Kent Hughes managed to pull off this summer, the topic of the offseason has been a Lane Hutson contract extension. It’s been discussed left, right, and center, with numerous outlets pitching their take on how much he should receive and for how long. As a result, fans have become anxious about the contract, and the thought of not being able to re-sign one of the organization's crown jewels has crept in, especially after seeing the New Jersey Devils put pen to paper with Luke Hughes and the Anaheim Ducks do the same with Jackson Lacombe.
Appearing on Melnick in the Afternoon, the GM spoke candidly about the Canadiens’ current predicament and was reassuring. While the organization never discusses the particulars of contract negotiations, the man at the helm said that at the end of the day, Hutson won’t be an unrestricted free agent for seven years, so one way or another, the situation will be resolved, and the blueliner is not going anywhere.
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t was interesting to hear him discuss other contract negotiations from his previous life as an agent, including former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron asking him what his market value was before revealing his desired salary. That number was always below market value because the centerman was aware that his team couldn’t be competitive if they paid him too much money. Hughes added that the best example of a professional athlete taking less money than they could have had in the Boston area was Tom Brady. There’s no denying that the tactic worked for both the Bruins and the New England Patriots.
Looking back at what Hughes has done so far with the Habs, it’s clear that he subscribes to the school of thought that to win, players must be willing to take less money to assemble a better team. That much was obvious when he signed Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky for less money than his captain, Nick Suzuki, was signed for.
Looking back at the Canadiens’ recent history, there’s no denying that Carey Price’s contract didn’t leave the Habs with much leeway to add outside talent and make the team more competitive. In comparison, when Martin Brodeur was backstopping the Devils, he would often take a lower salary so that Lou Lamoriello could assemble a strong supporting cast, and it worked.
The truth of the matter is, today, however, that the salary cap is going up, and it’s simple logic that the players should be aiming for more money now that the pandemic and flat salary cap are history. There’s a balance to be struck, however, and Hughes is the kind of man you want to be in place selling that idea to the players.
It might not be done quickly, but there is no urgency, not yet anyway. There’s still a year left on Hutson’s entry-level contract, and as previously discussed, he cannot be the target of an offer sheet and doesn’t have arbitration rights.
The GM also discussed Kirby Dach and the fact that ACL injuries are not easy to recover from, which shouldn’t be news to anybody. The organization made it clear to Dach at the end of last season that he needed to be in better shape for the start of camp, but that doesn’t mean the team won’t be patient with the big center this season. They wanted him to be in the best possible shape for training camp, and he was. Now, they’ll do their best to put him in winning conditions.
Anyone who has kept a close eye on training camp could have told you that. While St-Louis started camp saying he’d be their second-line center, he put him between Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov. That didn’t work, and they moved on. The team Hughes has assembled has the luxury of trying alternatives, because there’s more talent than there ever was.
Overall, the GM sounded confident as the start of the season approached, and that’s understandable. This summer, he addressed a significant need by finding a first-pairing right-shot defenseman, a commodity he says is the second hardest to come by on the market after a first-line center. After he landed Dobson, he felt comfortable flipping Logan Mailloux to get another influx of talent, but this time up front by acquiring Zack Bolduc from the St. Louis Blues.
The team would have liked to add down the middle, but the fact is, they’re still optimistic about what Dach can provide if he remains healthy, and they’re willing to see where it goes this season.
Buckle up, Habs fans, this season should be exciting with another stand-out rookie leading the charge and two young stars eager to book their spot on their national team’s roster for the Olympics.
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