Fans have been hoping to see Montreal Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes make another move this offseason, especially since he confirmed there is a possibility that Kirby Dach won’t be ready to start the new season. The Habs will have prized prospect Ivan Demidov playing his rookie season this year, and they are eager to give him the tools to succeed.
On Monday, Carey Price’s final signing bonus was paid off, and the shackles preventing the GM from trading his contract came off. Why do the Canadiens need to move his contract? Well, because as things stand, the Habs are nearly six million over the salary cap. In the previous year, they could become cap compliant by sending young players to the Laval Rocket before placing Price on LTIR at the start of the season and recalling the players then, but this year, they cannot do that. Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Zack Bolduc, and Lane Hutson are the only waiver-exempt players on the roster, so it just wouldn’t work.
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According to RG.org’s Marco D’Amico, Price’s contract is likely to be heading to the San Jose Sharks this week. The California outfit is just $5 million over the salary cap floor, and it therefore has plenty of cap room for Price’s $ 10.5 million cap hit. Should the Sharks decide to trade some of their highest-paid players, they wouldn’t find under the cap floor if they had Price on the roster.
Who could be coming the other way? Well, in short, nobody. The Sharks would be doing the Canadiens a favor by taking the gigantesque contract off their hands, and the Habs are likely to need to pay for the privilege. How much? Well, a first-round pick isn’t out of the question; that’s what the Calgary Flames had to give to Montreal when they took Sean Monahan’s contract off their books.
On his X account, TVA Sports’ Jean-Charles Lajoie shares the same view as D’Amico, stating that Price’s contract will be moving, and he adds that the Canadiens are also working on a deal for a second-line center. D’Amico’s sources tell him that fans may need to be patient for the second part of that statement to come true.
Still, according to D’Amico, the presence of Gavin McKenna at the next draft could mean that struggling teams are ready to raise the white flag earlier this season to increase their chances of drafting the generational talent that is the left winger.
An aging team like the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is looking to rebuild, may be eager to pull the plug, especially if it can convince some of its stars to consider moving, such as Evgeny Malkin or Sidney Crosby. Both are talented centers, and despite their age, they could generate considerable interest and provide the Pens with a significant return. Speaking to the media during last year’s playoffs, Canadiens rookie Demidov said he was a Malkin fan growing up, but the Russian pivot has a long list of injuries and rarely plays a full 82-game season.
The Nashville Predators, who struggled mightily last season, could also be tempted to call it early. After all, Barry Trotz, who had invested heavily last offseason, threatened his roster with a rebuild if they couldn’t get things going, and they didn’t. Ryan O’Reilly’s experience could come in handy for many teams. Still, he would be a very temporary fix since he’s already 34, just like another good option Erik Haula.
If Mason MacTavish still refuses to sign with the Anaheim Ducks when the season starts, could GM Pat Verbeek entertain the thought of moving him? It’s not outside the realm of possibilities, but it would be surprising to see him give up on the promising young center.
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As the offseason progresses, fans are growing increasingly anxious about the future of the second-line center position with the Montreal Canadiens. While the situation isn’t exciting, the most likely outcome at this stage is for Kirby Dach to receive another opportunity in the role.
While none of those possibilities have come to fruition yet, Hughes must create the kind of space that would allow him to take advantage of those situations. The best and easiest way to do that is to move Price’s contract. Fear not, though, at the end of the season, when the goaltender’s contract finally expires, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Price sign a one-day contract with the Habs, so that he can retire as a Canadiens and he won’t have worn any other uniform in his storied career.
If one of the stories this summer has been about the possibility of moving his contract, next offseason, once he has officially retired, the conversation might be about whether his number 31 should be retired and whether he will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame on his second year of eligibility.
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