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Salary Cap Deep Dive: Chicago Blackhawks

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avert 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 2019-20 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Chicago Blackhawks

Current Cap Hit: $78,163,461 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Kirby Dach (three years, $925K)
F Dominik Kubalik (one year, $925K)
F Anton Wedin (one year, $925K)
D Adam Boqvist (three years, $894K)
F Dylan Strome (one year, $863K)
F Alexander Nylander (two years, $863K)
F Alex DeBrincat (one year, $778K)

Potential Bonuses

Dach: $2.5MM
Strome: $2.48MM
Nylander: $850K
Kubalik: $850K
Boqvist: $850K
DeBrincat: $33K

The Blackhawks have done quite a bit of work to bring in a number of top players on entry-level contracts over the past few years in hopes of taking a team that was loaded with high-priced, aging talent and getting them back into playoff contention. They have hit the jackpot with DeBrincat, who immediately stepped onto the ice and has been a phenomenal top-six player for the past two years, scoring 69 goals so far, including a key 41-goal season last year. The diminutive winger was passed up by many teams in the 2016 draft and has proven that his size isn’t an issue on the team. The only problem is that his entry-level deal will be up at the end of the season, meaning the Blackhawks will likely have to pay a high price to lock him up. Strome, in the meantime, has been a solid trade acquisition. The top prospect, who couldn’t seem be able to turn the corner in the pros, broke out once arriving in Chicago, putting up 17 goals and 51 points in 58 games. If he can produce at a similar level, the Blackhawks will have to offer pay up again, giving them two potential significant contracts the team will have to pay out one year from now.

Chicago also is banking on a number of their draft picks to make an impact. Dach, the third-overall pick in this year’s draft, could be an option for the team if he can prove he’s ready for NHL action now, but with a number of young forwards pushing for playing time on their roster, he’d have to dominate and prove he might be ready to assume a third-line center position. Boqvist, the team’s eighth-overall pick in 2018, will challenge for playing time as well, but could just as easily spend time in the AHL to get used to playing against adults for part of the season first. Regardless, the team has two core pieces that are close to joining the organization.

General manager Stan Bowman has also made an effort in bringing in talent from outside the organization as the team has brought in a pair of prospects over from Europe in Wedin and Kubalik. The 26-year-old Wedin broke out in his rookie season in the SHL with 14 goals, while Kubalik scored 25 goals and 57 points in 50 games in the NLA. The team also surprised a few people earlier this summer when it traded top defensive prospect Henri Jokiharju to Buffalo for Alexander Nylander. The team hopes to get Nylander going as the eighth-overall pick in 2016 has so far struggled with consistency in three AHL seasons.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

G Corey Crawford ($6MM, UFA)
G Robin Lehner ($5MM, UFA)
F Drake Caggiula ($1.5MM, RFA)
D Erik Gustafsson ($1.2MM, UFA)
D Slater Koekkoek ($925K, RFA)

The team did a phenomenal job of bringing in some goaltending help by stealing away UFA goaltender Lehner with a one-year, $5MM deal. That’s a steal if Lehner can produce anything close to last year’s numbers of a 2.13 GAA and .930 save percentage in 46 games. The 2018-19 Jennings and Masterton Trophy winner last year, Lehner can stabilize the Blackhawks goaltending situation, which has struggled due to concussion issues that Crawford has sustained over the past two years. Without Crawford, the team has struggled in goal. The hope is that both will be healthy this year and can share the workload, but if Crawford has trouble getting on the ice again, Chicago can now turn to Lehner. With both players down to one year remaining before unrestricted free agency, the Blackhawks can look at how both players fare this year and offer a long-term deal to the player they feel can best help them in the future.

The team may have their most challenging decision to make about Gustafsson next season. The rising defenseman put up impressive numbers in a full season last year after looking sharp in the second-half of 2017-18. The 27-year-old scored 17 goals and 60 points and if he can duplicate a season like that could find himself to be one of the most marketable UFA blueliners next year. With the Blackhawks having to hand out big contracts to DeBrincat and Strome, the team may have to move Gustafsson at the trade deadline or let him go at the end of the season for nothing.

Two Years Remaining

F Brandon Saad ($6MM, UFA)
F Zack Smith ($3.25MM, UFA)
F David Kampf ($1MM, RFA)
D Carl Dahlstrom ($850K, RFA)
F Dylan Sikura ($750K, RFA)
F John Quenneville ($750K, RFA)

The team has two contracts that they might want to see gone soon. The team re-acquired Saad back in 2017 in hopes of bringing back a big-time goal scorer. However, Saad hasn’t been nearly as dominant since returning, although he did rebound with a 23-goal campain last season. However at $6MM AAV, Saad could easily be a candidate to move on from when they need to free up some extra cash next offseason. Smith is in a similar situation. The team acquired Smith this summer in a swap of bad contracts as the team managed to unload Artem Anisimov. Smith, however, scored just nine goals last season in Ottawa and could have a hard time locking down a spot in the bottom-six with so many younger players pushing for playing time.

The team can only hope that some of their younger players like Sikura and the newly acquired Quenneville can contribute immediately, but both would have to take their game up a notch to prove themselves at the NHL level. Sikura, signed out of Northeastern University after the 2018 season, fared well in the AHL, but failed to register a goal in 33 games with the Blackhawks. The team also hopes that Kampf and Dahlstrom can prove themselves in their lineup.

Three Years Remaining

D Calvin de Haan ($4.55MM, UFA)
D Olli Maatta ($4.08MM, UFA)
D Connor Murphy ($3.85MM, UFA)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM, UFA)
F Ryan Carpenter ($1MM, UFA)
G Collin Delia ($1MM, UFA)

In hopes of improving its defense, the team went out and acquired a pair of defenders in de Haan and Maatta over the summers. The Blackhawks picked up de Haan from Carolina  and while he’s currently dealing with a shoulder injury and isn’t expected to start the season, he has proven to be a solid defender for years and should upgrade the team’s top-four. The team also moved some of its young forward depth by sending Dominik Kahun to Pittsburgh to get the defensive-minded Maatta. The two veteran blueliners should bolster a defense that had plenty of issues over the past few years. However, both come with significant contracts, especially if either defenseman struggles to succeed in Chicago. The team also has Murphy, who the team acquired two years ago from Arizona, who has three years remaining and has found himself a solid contributor on the team’s blueline.

The team also has acquired Shaw this summer to improve their depth in hopes of getting Chicago back in the playoffs. The former Blackhawk should add a significant presence on their bottom-six and add an element of physicality to the team. Carpenter, signed away from Vegas, should also improve the team’s bottom-six.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Patrick Kane ($10.5MM through 2022-23)
F Jonathan Toews ($10.5MM through 2022-23)
D Brent Seabrook ($6.88MM through 2023-24)
D Duncan Keith ($5.54MM through 2022-23)

Things will likely change next season, but Chicago’s four biggest contracts haven’t changed with all of them, minus Seabrook’s, down to four more years and starting to look more and more manageable. Kane continues to amaze at age 30 as he posted 44 goals and a career-high in points with 110. His contract doesn’t even look like it’s a questionable one. The 31-year-old Toews also had a resurgent season as he tallied a career-high 35 goals and 81 points, showing that as long as he has talented players around him, he is more than capable of justifying his $10.5MM AAV.

Keith is somewhat of a different story. He’s 36 now and will be 40 when his contract ends and while there has been an evident decline, the veteran has still shown that he’s a solid defender, scoring six goals and 40 points last year and is averaging more than 23 minutes of ice time a game still. The question will be how long can Keith keep up those numbers and will his game decline even more over the next couple of years. Seabrook, however, has that extra season on his deal as he is locked up for five more years. At 34-year-old, Seabrook has seen an obvious decline that even saw his minutes drop under 20 minutes a game for the first time in his career, not a good sign when the team has him under contract until 2024. The team can only hope that he can come back and prove that he still has the skills to be a top-four defenseman.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

F  Brendan Perlini

Chicago still has one restricted free agent and must find a number that will make the youngster happy, but considering his inconsistent season, the team may have some trouble figuring out how much to pay him. Perlini, also acquired with Strome in the Nick Schmaltz trade during the season last year, struggled at first in Chicago, but finally broke out in March with eight goals and 10 points in 13 games. A one-year or bridge deal would be the most likely course of action to see whether Perlini’s late success can be duplicated. The former first-round pick from 2014 could be a major asset if Chicago can get the most out of the team.

Best Value: Lehner
Worst Value: Seabrook

Looking Ahead

The Blackhawks have done quite a bit in the last year to improve their team with the hopes of getting their veteran core back in the playoffs once again after a two-year absence. Chicago has added a bunch of veteran players and young and cheap roster additions that should be able to turn their team around. The key, of course, is the team needs their veterans to continue to thrive, while their younger players must continue to improve. On top of that, the Blackhawks must hope that a number of their roster additions can take that next step in their development and prove to be valuable to the team’s overall depth.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jason Pominville Considering Buffalo, Montreal

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Less than 24 hours after our Brian La Rose profiled Jason Pominville’s continued free agent availability, The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin has an update on where he might be headed if he’s to continue his NHL career. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Pominville has two routes in mind: staying with the Buffalo Sabres or signing with his hometown Montreal Canadiens. Although Pominville has proven that he is still a capable NHL forward at 36 years old, recording 16 goals and 30+ points in each of the past two season, the veteran forward is well aware that the free agent market is tough and that the NHL is getting younger and faster, but he is not willing to take just any job to keep playing:

There are quite a few players in my situation, they’re not sure if they’re going to play, or if they do they’re not sure where they want to go… As for me, we’ll see. I’m staying in shape, but I’m not going to just jump into any situation. I do it because I love it, and because I know I still can play, but it’s going to have to be the right fit.

That “right fit” for Pominville also includes considering his family. Godin writes that Pominville’s children are at an age now where picking up and moving is not as easy. The family is entrenched in Buffalo and would like to stay there if possible. Of course, the Sabres are already over the salary cap ceiling for the coming season and will have to move a player as is before the season begins. Whether they look to use any space they manage to open up to bring on another player remains to be seen, as does whether Pominville would be a preferred target. The winger has played eleven seasons in Buffalo and contributed over 500 points to the franchise, but that doesn’t ensure continued interest.

As for Montreal, it would be a natural fit for the Quebec native, who still trains in the area during the off-season, and would likely be a more comfortable move for his family. Agent Normand Dupont tells Godin that he feels the Canadiens have not yet replaced Andrew Shaw, who was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks this summer, and feels Pominville could easily take on the two-way veteran forward role. In addition to the need, the Canadiens also have the salary cap space to add Pominville (or an even bigger name actually), so the fit there could exist.

This may not be an exhaustive list of who Pominville would play for next season, but his comments certainly make it seem like he would rather retire that move to an unfamiliar team far from his family at this point in his long career. A return to the Minnesota Wild or a move to other nearby clubs like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, or Pittsburgh Penguins could also be on the table for Pominville, even if not mentioned specifically. Only time will tell what the rest of the off-season will bring for the respected veteran, but he can certainly still play if the right opportunity presents itself.

Chicago Shopping Brendan Perlini

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There’s been no shortage of turnover in Chicago this summer, with the team acquiring Olli Maatta, Calvin de Haan, Andrew Shaw, and Alexander Nylander, signing Robin Lehner, and drafting Kirby Dach, while watching Dominik Kahun, John Hayden, Gustav Forsling, Marcus Kruger, and Henri Jokiharju depart. Yet, the re-shaping of the roster may not be done yet. Blackhawks insider Jay Zawaski of the Madhouse Chicago Hockey Podcast reports that the team is actively shopping young forward Brendan Perlini. 

Perlini, 23, is currently a restricted free agent looking for his first deal following the expiration of his entry-level contract. While the big winger was trending towards a nice pay day through his first two NHL seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, the status quo is much less clear since Perlini was dealt to the Blackhawks this past season alongside Dylan Strome. While Strome took off in Chicago, Perlini struggled and only began to find his game late in the season. Altogether, Perlini recorded just 15 points in more than half a season with the Blackhawks and never looked to fully gain the trust of the coaching staff. While it’s obvious that this could cause a rift between the team and player when it comes to contract negotiations, there was never any indication that it went so far as Chicago seeking to trade Perlini rather than re-sign him, at least until now.

With very little salary cap space remaining – approximately $2.04MM according to CapFriendly – and a lineup that still needs three more forwards, the Blackhawks have to be both creative and careful with how they fill out the roster. If the team is struggling to convince Perlini, a player they might not be sold on, to take a deal that fits within their cap constraints, then shopping him makes sense. On the other hand, they could be giving up too quickly on a young player who dealt with a change of scenery but has previously looked like a future 20-goal scorer. It never hurts to test the trade waters and see what the return may be for a player, but Chicago will have to make sure that they’re moving Perlini for the right reasons and for a fair return or risk ending up on the wrong side of a potential deal.

Ryan Carpenter Signs With Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Blackhawks have added a depth forward, signing Ryan Carpenter to a three-year deal. The contract carries just a $1MM average annual value, giving the team an inexpensive center to plug into the bottom-six.

Carpenter signed with the San Jose Sharks after three years at Bowling Green State University and had trouble cracking the San Jose Sharks’ lineup, playing just 27 NHL games for them over three seasons before the Sharks opted to place him on waivers. He was claimed back in 2017 by the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season and his physicality and offensive ability earned him a spot on the team’s bottom six as he scored nine goals in 36 games and returned for a full season last year. Carpenter played in a career-high 68 games, but found himself often scratched late in the season as Vegas was rotating him and a number of other forwards in and out of their third line, including Brandon Pirri, Tomas Nosek and Valentin Zykov, although Carpenter also was able to fill in on the team’s fourth line as well. With the addition of Nikita Gusev, Carpenter was expendable.

In Chicago, the 28-year-old should find a more permanent home on the Blackhawks’ fourth line. The team just added forward Andrew Shaw, who will likely center that line. Carpenter should add that combination of physical play with some offensive ability. Regardless, he’ll have to hold off a number of players who will be looking for playing time, including John Quenneville, Dylan Sikura, Dominik Kubalik, Anton Wedin.

Chicago Blackhawks Acquire Andrew Shaw From Montreal

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The Chicago Blackhawks announced they have re-acquired forward Andrew Shaw from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for three draft picks. Chicago will send a 2020 second-round pick, a 2020 seventh-round pick and a 2021 third-round pick to Montreal in exchange for Shaw and a 2021 seventh-round pick.

Shaw spent the first five years of his career in Chicago after the Blackhawks drafted him in the fifth round in 2011. The physical forward scored 20 goals in the 2013-14 season and followed that up with 15 and then 14-goal campaigns after that. However, with salary cap troubles on them in 2016, the Blackhawks were forced to trade Shaw to Montreal in a draft-day deal for two second-round picks. One of those picks turned into Alex DeBrincat.

Shaw signed a six-year $23.4MM deal a few days later with the Canadiens. He has provided the Canadiens with solid middle-six depth in the three years he’s been with Montreal, picking up 19 goals and a career-high 47 points last year where he spent most of his time on the second line. Shaw still has three years remaining on his deal at $3.9MM AAV. With Chicago, he should immediately slot in on either the second or third line and provide the team with both scoring and a physical presence.

For Montreal, who many feel could be major players in free agency on Monday, the team now has $12.6MM in cap space with rumors that the team is right in on players like Matt Duchene and Anders Lee. Unloading Shaw and his $3.9MM could go well into helping the team add a more veteran scorer to the lineup, while adding three future picks, including a future second and third-rounder should only help the Canadiens down the road.

Snapshots: Grzelcyk, Lewis, Eaves, Canadiens

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Matt Grzelcyk’s strong showing this season and cheap contract may make him a trade candidate over the next few weeks, suggests Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston.  The 25-year-old (who is currently dealing with a lower-body injury) is logging nearly 20 minutes a night for the Bruins on their back end and carries a $1.4MM cap hit through next season.  That’s bound to get the attention of some selling teams who would relish the chance to add a potential top-four player on a below-market deal.  Boston is on the lookout for help up front and if they don’t want to part with one of their younger forwards, Grzelcyk could very well be on the move instead.

More from around the league:

  • The Kings announced that they have activated Trevor Lewis off injured reserve. The 32-year-old has missed the last 37 games due to a fractured foot and has suited up just 17 times so far in 2018-19.  Lewis can play all three forward positions and kill penalties which could make him a player of interest for contending teams down the stretch.  He has one year left on his contract after this one with a cap hit of $2MM.
  • The Ducks have placed winger Patrick Eaves on IR due to flu-like symptoms, notes Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The veteran last suited up on Monday so the placement can be back-dated to Tuesday which would allow him to be activated in time for their next game on Wednesday against Vancouver.  Eaves has played in just seven games this season due to injuries which included back spasms and a fractured rib.
  • The Canadiens have activated winger Andrew Shaw off of injured reserve and have transferred winger Paul Byron (forearm) to IR, reports Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports (Twitter link). Shaw has been out since suffering a neck injury in late December.  Byron’s injury isn’t believed to be a significant one but it’s worth noting that with Montreal carrying a full 23-man roster, they will have to waive or trade a player to make room for him when he’s ready to be activated.

Injury Notes: Jenner, Perron, Shaw

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The Columbus Blue Jackets will be without Boone Jenner for at least another week after a cut on his ankle has become infected. The team announced a one to three week timeline for Jenner today, noting that the laceration happened after Jenner blocked a shot on January 12th. This explains why Mark Letestu has been recalled, though the veteran center is still not expected in the lineup for the Blue Jackets tonight.

It comes at an unfortunate time for Columbus, given that the next three weeks could be the most important stretch of their season. With the decisions surrounding Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky looming, this could be the last stretch that this group has together before watching two of their best players head to a different locker room. Jenner meanwhile has been his effective two-way self this season, but has just nine goals and 21 points to show for it. That’s a far way off from the 30-goal campaign he put up in 2015-16, a distant memory at this point for the 25-year old center. He’ll need to pick things up in the second half if Columbus is going to continue to put pressure on the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

  • David Perron has been moved to injured reserve by the St. Louis Blues, as he continues to deal with an upper-body injury. Perron was in the middle of his best stretch of the season with points in 13 consecutive games, while seeing almost 20 minutes of ice time a night. The veteran forward was listed as day-to-day originally, but has now missed three games for the Blues. His IR stint will be retroactive to January 17th, meaning he can come off whenever healthy.
  • Andrew Shaw hasn’t played in a month for the Montreal Canadiens, but is getting a lot closer to a return. The feisty forward returned to the ice for practice today and skated on a line with Kenny Agostino and Michael Chaput. Shaw had 24 points in 36 games for the Canadiens before suffering what would eventually be classified as a neck injury at the end of December. His return would be a substantial boost for a Montreal team that is quietly pushing for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Atlantic Notes: Cooper, Nylander, Kotkaniemi, Kronwall, O’Brien

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Despite the fact that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is in the final year of his contract, often a bad sign if a team hasn’t extended him, that isn’t the case here. Cooper and new general manager Julien BriseBois have a long history together as BriseBois was the one who originally hired Cooper back in 2010 as the head coach of their AHL franchise when BriseBois was the assistant general manager.

The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) documents their long history together and writes that even though negotiations haven’t started, BriseBois and Cooper aren’t worried about it at all, considering the trust and bond the two share together.

“I don’t see anyone else I’d want to work with right now,” BriseBois said, who hoisted a Calder Cup trophy with Cooper seven years ago. “The people who were there with you, you never forget that.”

  • Damien Cox of The Star writes that while the Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t done anything wrong when it comes to the contract situation with holdout William Nylander, the team does need to think about how it intends to manage their next two major contract discussions when they must tangle with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. While Nylander is rumored to be asking for $8MM plus in his next deal, both Matthews and Marner could ask for quite a bit more. With the team’s significant cap issues in front of them, the scribe writes the team would be well advised to avoid a similar situation next season by trying to lock those two youngsters up during the season.
  • Montreal Canadiens’ centers have already begun training their newest addition in Jesperi Kotkaniemi by working separately after practice with him on faceoffs on Friday. According to The Athletic’s Marc Antoine Godin (subscription required), Tomas Plekanec, Mathew Peca, Andrew Shaw and Phillip Danault got together and helped teach the 18-year-old some tips and tricks on taking faceoffs with the hopes that the youngster improves his game as quickly as possible.
  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson for their two-game road-trip, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. Both defensemen have been on injured reserve and still are not ready to return to action.
  • While not on the Ottawa Senators NHL roster, Matt Tidcombe of the Belleville Senators website reports that team lost forward Jim O’Brien for four to six months after the 29-year-old forward underwent surgery on a severed tendon in his right leg in an AHL preseason game. O’Brien played 10 games for Ottawa last year.

East Notes: Shaw, Despres, Darling, Witkowski

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While Montreal forward Andrew Shaw was expected to miss the opening few weeks of the season as he recovers from offseason knee surgery, he revealed to reporters, including Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, that he has received the green light from team doctors and is hopeful to play in the season opener on Wednesday.  That will present a bit of a challenge for the Canadiens who are currently carrying the maximum of 23 players on their active roster.  They have just three players exempt from waivers in defensemen Noah Juulsen and Victor Mete who both project to be in their top six, plus 2018 top pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who they already announced would start the season with the big club.  Accordingly, it appears that they are going to have to either waive or trade someone in the very near future to accommodate Shaw’s return to the roster.

More from the East:

  • Still with the Canadiens, while it appears that Simon Despres won’t be sticking around with Montreal, he has at least earned himself a look in the minors. The team announced (Twitter link) that they have offered the 27-year-old a minor league contract; it’s worth noting that Despres is from Laval where Montreal’s AHL team plays.  However, while he has previously indicated that he’d be open to starting the season in the minors, he’s first going to take some time to consider his options.
  • The Hurricanes are expected to know more about how much time goaltender Scott Darling will miss tomorrow, owner Tom Dundon told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). Dundon then added that his understanding is that the injury is “not catastrophic”.  With there being a handful of goalies among the players placed on waivers today, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Carolina add one to give themselves some extra insurance heading into the season.
  • Although he cleared waivers earlier today, the Red Wings haven’t decided whether or not to send Luke Witkowski to the minors, notes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. The veteran, who can play both up front and on defense, is being kept around given the uncertainty surrounding some of their injured players and could also be used to stack their roster as close to the Upper Limit before transferring Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen to LTIR to maximize their spending potential from doing so.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

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Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert 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 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of 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: $71,687,975 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jesperi Kotkaniemi (three years, $925K)
F Nikita Scherbak (one year, $863K)
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $863K)
F Artturi Lehkonen (one year, $839K)
D Victor Mete (two years, $748K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kotkaniemi: $2.5MM
Juulsen: $425K
Mete: $183K
Scherbak: $175K

Total: $3.28MM

It’s too early to tell if the Canadiens intend to thrust Kotkaniemi onto an NHL roster. Most people feel that the third-overall pick from this year’s draft still needs another year to get bigger and develop his skills, but Montreal is desperate for help at the center position and could consider the 18-year-old to make the leap. Regardless, whether he comes to the NHL now of in the near future, the team does have a franchise center they can look forward to placing into the top-six soon.

Mete had a turbulent rookie season after surprising many by making the team out of training camp. The 20-year-old was brought in to complement Weber due to his speed and puckhandling skills, but he struggled at times and eventually was moved out of the top four and was almost sent back to juniors. In the end, the youngster played 49 games, but with a year of experience under his belt, he is expected to take on a top-four role this season. Juulsen is another solid prospect who should get some time, although more likely in a third-pairing situation.

Scherbak could be the most interesting player. The 22-year-old was a point-a-game player with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, but when recalled to Montreal, he was immediately injured and wasn’t able to capitalize on his opportunity. Scherbak didn’t get the minutes once he returned, scoring four goals in 26 games. However, he might get a chance to gain a regular role this year if he can make a strong impression in camp this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Max Pacioretty ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Plekanec ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($1.17MM, UFA)
D Jordie Benn ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Antti Niemi ($950K, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($725K, RFA)
D Xavier Ouellet ($700K, RFA)
F Charles Hudon ($650K, UFA)

Much has been said about Pacioretty over the past few months and even in the past week, but as of now, it looks like the 29-year-old is going to end up back on the first line, barring a trade. The team captain is coming off a disappointing 17-goal season after five straight years of 30-goal campaigns (not including the strike-shortened season in 2012-13). The team will have to determine whether they believe last year’s season was a fluke or whether he’s beginning to decline. The team has already committed to several major contracts and adding another one could be detrimental to a team who should rebuild. If he can prove his value with a bounce back season, the team may look to lock him up.

The 35-year-old Plekanec returns after the team traded him away at the trade deadline. He lacks the offense from the old days, but Plekanec still provides an excellent presence as a bottom-six center who has the experience and solid face-off skills, although his six goals and 20 assists is a career low. Byron is coming off a pair of 20-goal seasons for the Canadiens, but is expected to miss part of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in April. However, the 29-year-old has to prove that he can continue his goal-scoring ways.

The team hopes to get a boost from Armia, who came over when the Canadiens took on Steve Mason’s contract from Winnipeg. The 25-year-old got a full season in with a loaded Jets roster and tallied 12 goals and 29 points. With a bigger role in Montreal, he could become a solid 20-goal scorer. The remainder of players will have to prove their value if they want to come back.

Two Years Remaining

F Max Domi ($3.15MM, RFA)
D David Schlemko ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Peca ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($950K, UFA)
F Jacob de La Rose ($900, UFA)

The Canadiens gave up a quality player in Alex Galchenyuk in order to acquire Domi. The highly-touted winger has struggled in the NHL over the past couple of years and it probably isn’t a good sign that the Arizona Coyotes gave up on the 23-year-old already, suggesting they didn’t feel that he was going to contribute to their team this year. After a impressive rookie season in which he scored 18 goals and 52 points, he has failed to break double-digits in goals in each of the past two seasons since then. Regardless, Montreal is ready to hand him top-six minutes to prove his value and show that he’s better than Arizona thought he was.

Schlemko provides the team with another depth defenseman, but likely isn’t going to play top-four minutes for the team, while the team has high hopes that Deslauriers can duplicate a 10-goal season on the team’s energy line.

Three Years Remaining

D Jeff Petry ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gallagher ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Phillip Danault ($3.08MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($750K, UFA)

While many players had down years, Gallagher was the bright spot for the Canadiens as the 26-year-old broke the 30-goal mark last season for the first time and has established himself as top right wing on the team. It was a big improvement from his injury-riddled 10-goal campaign the previous year. Suddenly, at $3.75MM over the next three years, his contract is likely the best value on the team. The team also gave Danault a solid three-year extension. The 25-year-old only had eight goals and 25 points, but would be a more ideal third-line center. Unfortunately, with a hole at the second-line center, Danault has been thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for. We’ll see if he can handle that same role this season.

The team is paying a lot of money for Petry, who is one of the team’s most experienced defenseman with the injury to Weber, and the veteran should be able to handle the No. 1 duties for the time being. The 30-year-old blueliner showed off some offensive skills last year, posting a career-high 12 goals and 42 points.

Four Or More Years Remaining

G Carey Price ($10.5MM through 2025-26)
D Shea Weber ($7.86MM through 2025-26)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
D Karl Alzner ($4.63MM through 2021-22)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM through 2021-22)

The timing of Price’s poor season could have been better after the team extended the netminder last offseason. Now after a major drop off in performance after many felt he was the best goaltender in the world, the $10.5MM deal that kicks in this season, suddenly looks quite undesirable. After a season in which he posted a 2.23 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 62 games, Price struggled with injuries and struggled all year behind Montreal’s weakened blueline. He put up a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 49 games. The question is which Price will come back this year? If he can bounce back and perform even close to his 2016-17 statistics, that contract wouldn’t look to be quite as bad.

Unfortunately, Weber’s contract is another story. The 33-year-old blueliner still has eight years left on his contract, only managed to play 26 games last season after he was forced to undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his foot and now is expected to miss a large chunk of the season with the possibility of returning in mid-December. While a dominant defenseman when healthy, one has to wonder whether a major foot injury may alter the impact that Weber makes for the rest of his career, considering his advancing age and the way that speed has taken the league over recently. Whether the team can keep him on the ice for another year or two, let alone eight, will be something to closely monitor.

The team has high expectations will be able to bounce back after his struggles to adapt to the center position. Drouin will continue to play there this season and with a full season of experience and a chance to train there in the preseason, Drouin should be much more comfortable, centering the team’s top line. The third-overall pick from the 2013 draft, Drouin has all the talent to make the adjustment and give the team a top-six center. However, his numbers took a hit with the change in positions as he managed just 13 goals and 46 points on the year. The team also has high expectations that Alzner, the team’s big free-agent signing a year ago, will bounce back as well. The veteran defenseman had trouble getting integrated with his new team as well as having to deal with the expectations that came with the contract he signed. However, with a year of experience, he should be able to settle into top-four role this season.

Buyouts

G Mason ($1.37MM through 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gallagher
Worst Value: Weber

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The team has all the contracts of a team trying to rebuild with youth. Unfortunately, it also has two contracts that are going to weigh down the franchise for eight more years, which is a long time, especially when some of the young players begin to develop and will need new contracts of their own. While the contract of Price might not seem as bad if the veteran goaltender can rebound, it’s likely that Weber’s deal will be a major albatross and it’s way too early to even consider trading that contract or buying it out. Regardless, the team needs to rebuild despite their strange salary cap situation. The addition of Kotkaniemi, regardless of when he arrives to the team, is a start to the rebuild, even if the team won’t acknowledge that’s what they’re doing.

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