The Montreal Canadiens have two of the 15 worst contracts in the league
To advance to the playoffs, a team’s players must perform beyond the terms of their contracts. It’s a principle that every NHL management understands.
The Habs have set themselves in position to accomplish precisely that one day, since Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky will all earn less than $8 million per year in the long run.
And with the cap going to climb, it might benefit the Flannel.
Nick Suzuki is already a bargain.So is Mike Matheson, although he will be a free agent in two years, before the Habs’ Stanley Cup window opens.
Remember when Suzuki’s $7.875-million-a-year contract was more of a burden than a bargain for Dom Luszczyszyn? The Athletic’s specialist has seen this component of his statistical analysis deteriorate in recent years.
However, this does not imply the Habs have dropped from his list of the league’s worst contracts.
Dom Luszczyszyn (The Athletic) has produced a top-10 list of the NHL’s current worst contracts. Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher, two rising stars, are among the five honorable mentions.
Pierre-Luc Dubois is also highlighted, but the Capitals player is not currently in Montreal.
Of course, we know that terrible contracts are one of the reasons the Habs are struggling. The Habs currently have three players who stand out above the rest: Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Carey Price.
Price is not as bad now that he is on the LTIR ($10.5 million per year for the next two years), but he is still on the chopping block.
Remember that the two forwards will earn $6.5 million (Gallagher) and $5.5 million (Anderson) for the next three years. Clearly, they are not tradeable.
The Habs are allowing time to pass in the hopes that one day a decision will be easier. Whether it is a buyout, a trade, the long-term injured list, or something else, the smaller the contract, the less long-term influence the decision has.
In 12 months, when the cap has been raised (again), more time has passed, and other contracts in Montreal have expired, the Gallagher and Anderson deals will not look so horrible.I said “look” worse.
