Kent Hughes confident of extending Kaiden Guhle’s contract soon

The Canadiens weren’t overly active today, but that’s to be expected.

After all, the club is still rebuilding, and giving six- or seven-year contracts to 30-year-olds isn’t exactly the house style.

Instead, Kent Hughes decided to extend 20-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky’s contract until 2033. At his press conference, the GM also told reporters he was confident he could extend the contract of Kaiden Guhle, whose entry-level contract will expire after next season, just like Slaf.

#Habs GM Kent Hughes says he believes the team will also be able to come to an agreement with Kaiden Guhle regarding a contract extension.

– Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) July 1, 2024

Discussions have begun, but let’s just say they’re not as advanced as those with the Slovakian camp.

Again, there’s no rush on this one. After all, Cole Caufield played a full season with no idea of what was in store for him contractually.

In the case of the left-handed defender, he quickly became a general and a man to be reckoned with in Montreal. He may have been injured many times in his young career, but he’s still a reliable guy, and the team does better when he makes his presence felt on the ice.

Like Alex Vlasic, the Chicago Blackhawks’ purely defensive defenseman, I’m expecting a contract in the $5 million-a-year range. I doubt that Kent Hughes would offer him such a sum over eight years, but over five or six years, it seems quite conceivable.

If he isn’t extended this summer, it’ll wait… like Caufield.

Kent Hughes states that discussions concerning Kaiden Guhle’s contract are underway, but “less advanced than with Slafkovsky”.

The goal remains to reach an agreement with him this summer, “otherwise it’ll wait like it did with Cole”, says the GM.

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) July 1, 2024

Still on defense, the situations of Arber Xhekaj, who has just changed agent, and Justin Barron are more pressing.

Both RFAs are out of contract as of today.

In Overtime

– Martin Necas: no imminent trade.

Carolina will continue to entertain trade discussions involving Martin Necas, but as of an hour or ago it was status quo and a move wasn’t imminent. We’ll see if Canes gain traction this week or not.

– David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 1, 2024