Marchessault: The Canadiens’ offer was much lower than the Preds'

Kent Hughes wanted to add some offensive talent to his roster this summer, and tried to do so by negotiating with Jonathan Marchessault when the NHL free agent market opened.

However, to the disappointment of some Habs fans, the Quebec player said no to Montreal, only to agree to terms with the Predators.

Marchessault did receive an offer from the Canadiens… But for him, the circumstances were more favourable in Nashville.

Ultimately, the former Golden Knights player said he didn’t want the pressure of a market like Montreal.

He’ll have a calmer head in Nashville, it’ll cost him less in taxes… And he’ll also have the opportunity to play for a club that was very aggressive on the market this summer. #Stamkos#Skjei

But there was also a “problem” for Marchessault in Kent Hughes’ offer.

According to a source close to us, the offer was for three years… at an annual salary of $4.7 million.

Need we remind you that Marchessault was able to secure a five-year contract at $5.5 M per season in Nashville?

The difference in salary between the two offers is quite remarkable.

It’s $800,000 a year more in Nashville, after all…

And the difference is even more impressive when you consider that the tax rate in Nashville is much lower because income is only taxed federally.

At 33, this was probably his last chance to get a big contract, and he took advantage of it to pay up.

Can you really blame him?

Marchessault was coming off his best offensive season ever and deserved to be paid what he was worth.

That said, $4.7 million a season for a guy who has averaged 27 goals a season for the past eight years isn’t a lot. There’s also the age factor, of course… But still.

By the way, Marchessault had a seven-year (!!!) offer on the table to finish his career in Vegas.

What did this offer look like? The annual salary was $1M per year. There was no mention of bonuses in the discussion, which makes the concept of this offer rather peculiar.

It may seem insulting to some.

It reminds me of the Lightning’s offer for Alex Killorn (eight years at $2.75 million per season) …And for Steven Stamkos (eight years at $3 million per season) .

This model is used for clubs that are in a salary crunch, but it can’t work all the time either.