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Waivers: 9/30/23

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With the start of the NHL season now just ten days away, daily waiver activity will be continuing league-wide.  Here is a listing of the players that are on the wire today per various team announcements and TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).

Buffalo Sabres

G Devin Cooley
F Justin Richards
G Dustin Tokarski

Edmonton Oilers

F Drake Caggiula
F Greg McKegg

Montreal Canadiens

D Nicolas Beaudin
F Lucas Condotta
D Brady Keeper
F Mitchell Stephens

Nashville Predators

F Anthony Angello
D Kevin Gravel
G Troy Grosenick
D Jordan Gross

New York Rangers

F Jake Leschyshyn

Ottawa Senators

F Josh Currie
D Dillon Heatherington
F Garrett Pilon
D Lassi Thomson

While Ottawa’s players were announced as being waived on Friday, it was after the 1 PM CT cut-off which means their waiver clock starts today.

Vegas Golden Knights

F Byron Froese
D/F Mason Geertsen
D Dysin Mayo
F Gage Quinney
F Sheldon Rempal
F Jonas Rondbjerg

Most of the forwards on this list have cleared waivers in the past with Condotta being the lone exception as this is his first time eligible for waivers.  He spent most of last season in the minors but scored in his lone NHL appearance.  Quinney and Rempal were productive in the minors last season, averaging just shy of a point per game while Caggiula had over 50 points as well.

Among the defensemen, Thomson could be one to keep an eye on for a potential claim.  The 23-year-old was the 19th overall pick in 2019 and is still on his entry-level contract.  He hasn’t had much success at the NHL level so far but as a young right-shot defender, a rebuilding team or two might be inclined to take a flyer on him.

Mayo logged nearly 21 minutes a night on the back end for Arizona back in 2021-22 but cleared waivers last season and was eventually traded to Vegas in exchange for Shea Weber’s LTIR-eligible contract.  He has two years left on a one-way deal worth $950K per season which could scare teams off.  Beaudin is a former first-rounder himself back in 2018 (27th overall) but has just 22 NHL games under his belt, none of which came last season between Montreal and Chicago.

Grosenick and Tokarski are no strangers to the waiver wire.  Tokarski has cleared all five times while Grosenick has cleared six out of eight times he has been waived over the years.  This will be Cooley’s first time on waivers but while he had a decent season in Nashville’s system last season (posting a .909 SV% with AHL Milwaukee), it would be surprising to see him picked up.

Each player will be available to teams until 1 PM CT on Sunday.

Sharks Claim Ty Emberson Off Waivers From Rangers

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There was one player claimed from Friday’s batch of waivers as Chris Johnston of TSN reports (Twitter link) that the Sharks have claimed blueliner Ty Emberson off waivers from the Rangers.

The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Arizona back in 2018 (73rd overall) out of the U.S. National Team Development Program.  He was the player who came to New York when they dealt two draft picks to the Coyotes to take on the remainder of Patrik Nemeth’s contract (which has since been bought out).  The change of scenery seemed to work quite well for Emberson as he went from 11 points in his final season with Tucson to 27 points last season with AHL Hartford although it didn’t land him an NHL look.

That helped secure Emberson a qualifying offer from the Rangers although he ultimately accepted less than that in exchange for a higher AHL pay.  He’s on a one-year deal that pays $775K in the minors and $85K at the minor league level.  He’ll be a restricted free agent once again next summer.

San Jose is an interesting landing spot for Emberson since they already have seven blueliners on one-way deals plus Jacob MacDonald who is on a two-way deal but played in 58 NHL games last season.  However, the Sharks are a team that’s squarely in the middle of a rebuild so from that standpoint, it makes sense that they would want to take a look at a young right-shot defender.

Atlantic Notes: Primeau, Zboril, Heinen

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Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau has struggled at the NHL level so far with a 4.11 GAA and a .871 SV% in 21 games but has shown enough in the AHL that he’s still viewed as a possible goalie of the future.  He now requires waivers to get back to the minors but TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (video link) that the team believes he won’t make it through unclaimed.  Accordingly, they’re giving serious consideration to carrying three goalies to start the season with Primeau joining holdovers Samuel Montembeault and Jake Allen.  Primeau has two years left on his one-way contract which carries a cap hit of $890K but with the price of third-string goalies going up a lot this summer, even the one-way element might not dissuade a potentially interested team from taking a flyer on him.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril returned to practice yesterday for the first time since being injured in Boston’s preseason opener, relays Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link). The blueliner was in a non-contact sweater but it was still a step in the right direction.  This is an important camp for the 26-year-old who is entering the final year of his contract, one that carries an AAV of $1.1375MM.  Boston could opt to waive Zboril, giving them some much-needed cap flexibility so he’ll be looking to get into some games to try to lock down his spot.
  • Still with Boston, Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston argues that the Bruins should keep winger Danton Heinen who is in with the group on a PTO. While he’s not a prototypical fourth-line player, he would give them a bit more offensive punch.  With the firepower they lost over the summer, they could stand to benefit from carrying a bit more of an offensive-minded depth player.  Speculatively, Heinen would wind up with a deal at or close to the league minimum of $775K if he got a contract offer but they would need to open up some room before they could even offer that.

Penguins Hire Trent Mann

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It didn’t take too long for Trent Mann to find his next organization.  The Penguins announced today that they’ve named Mann as a Player Development and Scouting Advisor.

Mann had been with Ottawa since 2011 in a few different roles including their Director of Amateur Scouting for the past six seasons.  The Sens certainly had some strong draft picks during that stretch including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, and Shane Pinto although it hasn’t been a perfect stretch with Tyler Boucher’s stock dropping lately while Lassi Thomson, a former first-rounder himself, is going on waivers later today.  Mann, who also served as assistant GM for the Sens last season, was relieved of his duties in mid-July.

Now, he joins a Pittsburgh front office that has undergone some significant restructuring under Kyle Dubas.  While he’ll hold an advisory role for the time being, with a dozen seasons under his belt in the scouting ranks, it stands to reason that he should assume a bigger role with the club before too long.

The hire also adds a small new wrinkle to the cross-state rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as Mann’s son, defenseman Matteo Mann, was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round back in June.

Examining Tampa Bay’s Goaltending Options

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One hallmark of Tampa Bay’s success in recent years has been strong goaltending from veteran Andrei Vasilevskiy.  The team has had so much confidence in their starter that they’ve gone quite cheap with their backups over the last few seasons.  The risk to that approach, of course, is Vasilevskiy getting injured, a reality they’re now facing for at least the next two months after he underwent back surgery.

At the moment, the Lightning have Jonas Johansson as their projected starter, a netminder who has seen action with Buffalo, Colorado, and Florida but has a save percentage of just .886 in 35 career appearances.  Sure, that should improve behind a strong Tampa back end but his track record shouldn’t be particularly confidence-inspiring for management.  An upgrade would certainly be helpful.

Of course, an upgrade is quite difficult for them to be able to afford.  While Vasilevskiy will be LTIR-eligible, the fact he’ll return means that Tampa Bay is basically limited to replacing him with a low-cost netminder that can be waived and sent down upon Vasilevskiy’s return.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the low-cost options that are out there.

Waiver Candidates

Magnus Hellberg (PIT): Hellberg is no stranger to being in this situation as he was plucked off waivers twice last season by teams in this very situation, looking for a bit of short-term veteran depth.  His NHL track record is limited and his numbers are no better than Johansson’s but he’d at least give them a bit more of an experienced option.

Martin Jones (TOR): Jones was a late signee in free agency, eventually accepting a cheap one-way deal with an eye on being Toronto’s AHL starter.  He played in 48 games with Seattle last season and while he had a save percentage of just .886, his career numbers are a bit better.  If they want someone that can still handle a short-term starters’ workload, he’ll garner some consideration.

Alex Lyon (DET): The veteran impressed down the stretch last season with Florida and actually went into the playoffs as their starter before Sergei Bobrovsky got on his run partway through the first round.  His NHL numbers last year (2.89 GAA, .912 SV%) came in less than a three-month span which is around how long Vasilevskiy will be out.  Could those numbers be repeatable (or close to it) in Tampa Bay?

Cayden Primeau (MTL): This one would be a bit more of a gamble considering his very limited NHL experience.  However, he has been a multi-year starter in the minors now and at 24, it’s possible there’s still some upside.  Could he be this year’s Connor Ingram where a change of scenery helps him to unlock his potential?  If Tampa Bay thinks so, he could be an under-the-radar option if Montreal doesn’t opt to carry three goalies instead.

Alex Stalock (ANA): If Anaheim decides to start Lukas Dostal in the minors, this one won’t be an option for Tampa.  However, if he is on waivers, he could be an intriguing option after putting up a .908 SV% in 27 games with Chicago last season, his first extended NHL action since 2019-20 after dealing with myocarditis.

Anthony Stolarz (FLA): Stolarz is coming off an injury-riddled season but he’s only a year removed from posting a .917 SV% on an Anaheim team that had struggled considerably.  His cap hit would make it quite difficult for them to potentially keep him after Vasilevskiy returns but he is one of the more proven goalies likely to hit the waiver wire in the coming days.

All of these players are on contracts that can be fully buried in the minors without any salary cap penalty.

Trade Options

Eric Comrie (BUF): With Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the fold, it’s quite possible that the Sabres decide to go with the young duo which would leave Comrie as the odd one out.  With a $1.8MM AAV, Tampa Bay would need the Sabres to retain a decent chunk of that (if not the 50% maximum) so it’d be understandable if Buffalo asked for a draft pick in return.  Given that there will be other goalies available for free (and Comrie himself could be waived, too), this might not be their preferred route at this time.

Dan Vladar (CGY): This has been a popular speculative option but it’s not necessarily the most viable for Tampa Bay since he has a two-year deal and a $2.2MM cap hit which is something they can’t afford when Vasilevskiy returns.  Tampa Bay would need to come close to matching money in a trade as a result, meaning they’d have to part with a regular on their roster although he’d give them a higher-upside second-string option.

Free Agent Options

Brian Elliott: Elliott is no stranger to the team as he served as the backup over the past two seasons.  Things went quite well in 2021-22 but that certainly wasn’t the case last season with numbers that were among the worst in his career.  If familiarity with the organization and systems is important to the Lightning, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them at least consider the possibility of a reunion.

Jaroslav Halak: Last month, Halak indicated that he wants to keep playing but doesn’t want to be in a third-string/reserve role.  This short-term vacancy would seemingly fit him well.  He’d be guaranteed some consistent playing time and if he can outplay Johansson, it’s possible that he could push for a season-long opportunity.  He had a .903 SV% in 25 games with the Rangers last season, a better mark than many others on this list.

Internal Options

Tampa Bay has two other goalies on NHL deals, neither of which have made an NHL start.  Hugo Alnefelt is viewed as a possible goalie of the future but didn’t have a great year with AHL Syracuse.  Ideally, he needs frequent playing time and that’s easier to get with the Crunch.  Matt Tomkins is the other goalie in the system.  He exercised an opt-out in Sweden to sign with the Lightning back in May.  The 25-year-old hasn’t been more than an AHL backup in North America and it would be tough to rely on him in the NHL for any sort of extended stretch.

With Vasilevskiy’s surgery occurring now instead of in-season, Tampa Bay will have considerably more options over the next couple of weeks if they decide to add someone from outside the organization.  At this point, their best bet might be via the waiver wire where the list above certainly isn’t exhaustive; there will be plenty of netminders for them to choose from to give them a bit more stability in the short term.  They just might have to wait a week or two for the better options to become available.

Metropolitan Notes: Toffoli, Blue Jackets, York

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The Devils have already held preliminary discussions about an extension for pending UFA winger Tyler Toffoli, notes Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger.  The 31-year-old was acquired from Calgary earlier this summer and is coming off by far his best season, one that saw him put up 34 goals and 39 assists in 2022-23.  Toffoli currently carries a $4.25MM AAV and with the year he just had, it’s fair to say he’ll be looking for a decent-sized raise to put pen to paper on an early extension.  If he winds up playing alongside Jack Hughes as he has at times in the preseason, he could be in for another big year which would certainly bolster his value on the open market next summer.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch highlights some of the Blue Jackets who were regulars last season but could find themselves on the bubble now after Columbus added some extra depth over the summer. The headliner on the list is Cole Sillinger, a player who made the team at 18 and had a nice rookie year in 2021-22 but struggled considerably last season, scoring just three times in 61 games.  An opportunity to play big minutes with AHL Cleveland might just be the best thing development-wise for him for now.
  • Flyers defenseman Cam York took part in practice with the team today, suggesting he has been cleared to return, relays Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). The 22-year-old had missed the last few days of practice with an undisclosed injury.  He’s entering the first season of a two-year bridge deal which should also be his first full NHL campaign.  York had 20 points in 52 games with the Flyers last season while adding 13 more in 20 games with AHL Lehigh Valley.

Atlantic Notes: Pinto, Senators, Brown

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Speaking at Steve Staios’ introductory press conference today (video link), Senators GM Pierre Dorion indicated that the most recent discussions with unsigned center Shane Pinto occurred yesterday so at least there is no stalemate in discussions yet.  Ottawa’s situation is well-known at this point; they need to free up cap space before they can re-sign the 22-year-old who is expected to receive a two-year bridge deal around the $2.5MM range when everything is finalized.  Mathieu Joseph is the speculative cap casualty although the asking price from other teams is high to take on the remaining three years of his deal.  Dominik Kubalik, who came over as part of the return for Alex DeBrincat, might be a bit easier to move as an expiring deal.  Both wingers are off to good starts to their preseasons with two goals and an assist each in their first two outings.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with the Senators, the team is expected to make a significant number of cuts this week, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports.  At the moment, Ottawa is carrying 51 players on its training camp roster but they are expected to trim that to between 32 and 36 before they head to Eastern Canada for a pair of games on Sunday and Monday.  Meanwhile, Garrioch adds that captain Brady Tkachuk skated today after taking a stick to the eye on Wednesday and could suit up in one of those upcoming contests.
  • Lightning center Logan Brown is dealing with an injury that will keep him out for the start of the season, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The 25-year-old inked a one-year, two-way deal with Tampa Bay at the beginning of free agency after being non-tendered.  He played in 30 games last season with St. Louis and was expected to push for a spot at the end of the roster in training camp, an outcome that now won’t be happening.  Encina adds that blueline prospect Roman Schmidt will also miss the start of the season due to injury.

Avalanche Notes: Toews, Makar, Holland

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Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews is one of the top names headlining the 2024 unrestricted free agent class.  The 29-year-old has emerged as a legitimate top-pairing player since being acquired in 2020 and has seen his production take off the last couple of years as he reached the 50-point mark.  However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the industry thought is that Colorado doesn’t want to give Toews more than five years.  If he gets to the open market, it stands to reason that seven-year max-term offers would be on the table while the Avalanche could go as high as eight.  A long-term structure like that might allow for the AAV to be a bit lower than a medium-term agreement would be but would also carry some risk in the later years between his workload and age.

More from Colorado:

  • Cale Makar skated with the main group at practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the defenseman stated that while the injury hasn’t gotten any worse, it “hasn’t really gotten much better”  With the regular season still two weeks away, it stands to reason that the Avs will take their time with their star blueliner.
  • Peter Holland’s tryout appears to have been a somewhat successful one as the team confirmed to Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal (Twitter link) that they have made the forward a contract offer, one that also includes a reassignment to the AHL level. Whether the offer is a two-way deal with the Avalanche or a one-way AHL proposal remains to be seen.  Holland didn’t play anywhere last season and last played at the minor league level back in 2018-19 where he was quite productive with 65 points in 73 games.  Colorado shuffled through depth players frequently last season looking for the right fit so even though Holland won’t be making the roster now, he could get an opportunity down the road.

Wild Sign Marcus Foligno To Four-Year Extension

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Mats Zuccarello isn’t the only player getting an extension from the Wild today.  The team announced that it has signed winger Marcus Foligno to a four-year, $16MM contract extension.  Michael Russo of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the deal carries a full no-move clause in the first two seasons and a partial no-trade clause in the final two seasons.  CapFriendly adds (via Twitter) the breakdown of the money:

2024-25: $5MM
2025-26: $4.5MM
2026-27: $3.5MM
2027-28: $3MM

The 32-year-old has been a fixture in Minnesota’s middle six for the past six seasons after they acquired him from Buffalo back in 2017 as part of the swap that saw the Sabres re-acquire winger Jason Pominville.  Along the way, he has become an important part of their leadership group and currently serves as one of their alternate captains.

The last two seasons were polar opposites for Foligno.  In 2021-22, he posted career highs offensively, notching 23 goals and 19 assists in 74 games.  For context, he had only had two seasons where he had more than 23 points, both coming during his time with Minnesota.  However, he wasn’t able to come close to that output last year as he was held to just seven tallies along with 14 helpers in 65 contests.

The version of Foligno that put up 40 points is probably worth that contract when you factor in his physicality and ability to play on both special teams units.  However, last year’s version doesn’t quite justify that cost.  That makes it interesting that GM Bill Guerin opted for the early extension here before seeing if last season was a blip or a sign of things to come.

The deal represents a $900K increase on his current agreement which runs through the 2023-24 season.  Those savings will come from Zuccarello’s new contract which saw his AAV dip by $1.875MM.  Basically, Guerin was able to get two core veterans signed while still creating a bit of extra wiggle room for next season.  Earlier today, Guerin confirmed that extension discussions are underway with Ryan Hartman, another pending UFA as he tries to take care of his spending before the season gets underway.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2023-24 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Montreal Canadiens

Current Cap Hit: $89,677,916 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Justin Barron (one year, $925K)
D Kaiden Guhle (two years, $863K)
F Juraj Slafkovsky (two years, $950K)
D Arber Xhekaj (one year, $828K)

Potential Bonuses
Barron: $275K
Guhle: $420K
Slafkovsky: $3.5MM
Total: $4.195MM

Slafkovsky’s rookie season was a rough one as he had a limited role in the first half before an injury ended his year before he had reached the 40-game mark.  Assuming he has a similar spot on the depth chart this season, his offensive trajectory won’t change much, making him a likely bridge candidate.  It also makes his bonuses (including four ‘A’ ones) unlikely to be met.

Barron split last year between the NHL and AHL and Montreal’s defensive depth could force him down to start again.  If he does stick, however, he should at least hit some of his ‘B’ bonus for games played ($62.5K is the maximum).  A bridge deal would run him somewhere near the $1.5MM mark.  Guhle’s first professional season was a strong one as he logged over 20 minutes a night.  Limited offensive production could make a long-term deal tough but if he’s viewed as a core player, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montreal take a run at it.  He has two ‘A’ bonuses in his deal which could be reachable.  Xhekaj was one of the bigger surprises in the league last year, going from an undrafted junior free agent signing right to the NHL.  He had sheltered minutes and, like Barron, could see his waiver exemption work against him.  Assuming he sticks full-time, his role should be similar, paving the way for a bridge contract next summer also in the $1.5MM territory.

Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level

D Gustav Lindstrom ($950K, RFA)
F Sean Monahan ($1.985MM, UFA)
G Samuel Montembeault ($1MM, UFA)
F Tanner Pearson ($3.25MM, UFA)
D Chris Wideman ($762.5K, UFA)
F Jesse Ylonen ($775K, RFA)

Potential Bonuses:
Monahan: $15K

Pearson was acquired earlier this month from Vancouver and will be looking to rebuild some value after undergoing multiple wrist surgeries which caused him to miss most of last season.  At the moment, his next price tag should come in below this one.  Monahan got off to a strong start last year before multiple injuries ended his year prematurely.  Given his injury history, he opted to take an early extension from the Canadiens over testing the market.  The bonus becomes payable once he plays in 26 games.  Ylonen is now waiver-eligible for the first time and will be looking to lock down a regular spot on the roster.  He did well enough in limited action last season to position himself for a small raise so if he can become a regular, his next deal should pass the $1MM mark.

Lindstrom was re-signed quickly by Detroit after being non-tendered to avoid arbitration and was flipped to Montreal last month.  His role shouldn’t be much different though as he’s likely to remain a sixth or seventh defender.  Until he can establish himself as a full-time regular who doesn’t need sheltered minutes, his earnings upside will be somewhat limited.  Wideman struggled last season after a decent first year with Montreal.  The back issues that hindered him last season have already resurfaced so his next contract, if there is one, is likely to also be at the minimum.

When Montembeault signed this contract last year, it was a sign that both sides were unsure of his upside.  After a rough first season in Montreal, was there another level he could get to?  His performance last year suggests there might be.  He struggled down the stretch but in the first half of the season, his save percentage was above the league average on a team that gave up a lot of scoring opportunities.  He then had a strong showing at the Worlds in May to cap off his year.  His track record isn’t strong enough to push for top backup money yet but another season like this past one could push his asking price into the $2MM territory while another small step forward could push it closer to $3MM.

Signed Through 2024-25

G Jake Allen ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($3.4MM, UFA)
F Christian Dvorak ($4.45MM, UFA)
F Jake Evans ($1.7MM, UFA)
D Jordan Harris ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Rafael Harvey-Pinard ($1.1MM, RFA)
D Johnathan Kovacevic ($766.7K, UFA)
F Michael Pezzetta ($812.5K, UFA)
D David Savard ($3.5MM, UFA)

Former GM Marc Bergevin hoped that Dvorak would be able to fill the role that Jesperi Kotkaniemi was supposed to after Montreal declined to match his offer sheet with Carolina.  That hasn’t happened; instead, he has settled in more as a third-line option.  In this market, that’s a bit of a premium price.  Armia’s contract is definitely a premium as his offense just hasn’t come around.  He’s a capable defensive player but someone who is more or less valued in that role should be closer to half this price.

It looked like Evans was going to be a bargain last season.  Coming off a career year in 2021-22, he was expected to push for some playing time on the third line.  That didn’t exactly happen and he scored just twice in 54 games.  If he can get back to the 29 points he had the year before though, they can still get a good return on this deal.  Harvey-Pinard impressed in a midseason recall and while a 24.1% success rate on shots isn’t maintainable, he doesn’t need to produce at that clip to live up to this bridge deal.  Pezzetta is an end-of-roster player at a price tag that’s pretty close to the league minimum so they’ll do fine with that contract.

Savard logged big minutes last season due to a dearth of veterans on the back end.  He’s not an ideal top-pairing piece at this point of his career; a fourth or fifth role is where he’s better suited.  That role for this price tag is a bit on the high side but as long as he stays healthy, it’s a deal that they should be able to move if they want to.  Harris had a decent rookie campaign, establishing himself as a regular.  With only one full year under his belt, he was basically limited to a short-term second contract.  He’ll need to show that he can produce a bit more if he wants to land a sizable raise when this agreement is up.

Allen was extended to give Montreal a capable veteran netminder to help them through the next phase of their rebuild.  However, he’s coming off a tough year that saw him put up his worst showing statistically by a significant margin and is now one of the top-paid platoon options.  He’ll need to show considerable improvement to have a shot at beating this price point in 2025.

Signed Through 2025-26

F Kirby Dach ($3.363MM, RFA)
D Michael Matheson ($4.875MM, UFA)
G Carey Price ($10.5MM, UFA)

GM Kent Hughes paid a fairly big price to land Dach at the 2022 draft in a move that was surprising on both fronts – Montreal, a rebuilding team, moving multiple assets to add a player and Chicago, another rebuilding team, giving up on Dach so quickly.  The early returns were promising for the Canadiens as Dach locked down a top-six spot, splitting time between center and the wing while having a career year despite missing 24 games due to injuries.  Still just 22, they’re hoping that there’s more to come offensively and if that happens, the Canadiens will get a strong return on this contract fairly quickly.  Notably, the deal is structured so that Dach will be owed a $4MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights in 2026 so a raise will be on the horizon.

Matheson’s career has featured some ups and downs so far.  Back with Florida, this contract looked like a bargain, then a negative-value contract soon after.  He rebuilt some value in Pittsburgh but found another gear with Montreal.  Their young back end pressed him into a true number one role and, when healthy, he made the most of it as an all-situations player.  While he’s not a number one option in terms of talent, the Canadiens will get great value on this deal if he continues to have success in that spot.

Price’s playing days are over and he will remain on LTIR for the next three seasons.  While his contract is somewhat limiting in terms of forcing them into LTIR (meaning bonus carryover penalties), it’s a tenable situation for them to work within.  Notably, he’s still owed $17MM in total compensation which will make it difficult to move, unlike certain back-diving contracts that have moved (largely to Arizona) in recent years.

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