Patrik Laine could count on the habs’ depth in the playoffs even if he is traded

Félix Forget
Patrik Laine could count on the habs’ depth in the playoffs even if he is traded
Credit: Getty Images

Earlier tonight, we learned that Patrik Laine will apparently not be back in action tomorrow night. So he probably won't play before the Olympic break… which will begin after tomorrow's game for the Canadiens.

And in fact, this isn't exactly a surprise, given the rumors that the Habs would like to send him elsewhere. Right now, the club is having trouble activating him from the injured list (for financial reasons), and seeing Samuel Blais on waivers hasn't solved that problem.

It's becoming increasingly clear that he may have already played his last game in Montreal.

That said, we know that his contract ($8.7 million per year until the end of this season) is an obstacle to a trade. That's why there's often talk of Kent Hughes retaining some of the salary…

Except that in reality, as Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports) explains, such a scenario could mean that part of Laine's salary would count against the Habs' payroll in the playoffs.

Remember that with the new collective bargaining agreement, there is now a playoff payroll that cannot exceed the20 players in uniform during a game. This means that during a playoff game, the 20 guys dressed cannot earn more than $95.5 million per year.

So far, so good. But now it gets complicated.

If the Canadiens trade Laine at the trade deadline and retain 50% of his salary, he would cost his new team just over $950,000 (in real money) for the rest of the season. He would have a cap hit of $4.35 million, but the salary cap is calculated on a daily basis in the NHL (for teams that do not use the long-term injured reserve list), so the amount is adjusted based on the number of days remaining.

On the Habs side, the money retained by the club (which would also be just over $950,000) would count against the Habs' salary cap in the playoffs.

Basically, instead of having a payroll of $95.5 million for its 20 players in uniform, the Habs would have just under $94.6 million at its disposal.

Trading Laine to another team while retaining his salary comes with its share of risks. If Kent Hughes takes advantage of the flexibility offered by a Laine trade to bring a big-salary player to Montreal, things could get a little complicated come spring.

Alternatively, if the habs retain Laine's services, they could manage the Finn's situation themselves (for example, by not playing him in the playoffs, which would not impact their playoff payroll). Note that there are four games left (including tomorrow's) before the trade deadline.

Reminder: after the trade deadline, the 23-player active roster limit disappears: the only important thing is not to exceed the salary cap.

The takeaway from all this is that the new collective bargaining agreementreally doesn't help clubs make trades during the season. In addition to the new rule on double salary retention and the introduction of the playoff salary cap, the impact of salary retention on the playoff cap really doesn't help provide any flexibility.

If there is little action in the NHL on March 6, look no further than the new collective bargaining agreement to understand why.


Overtime

– Indeed.

–Oh?

– That's special.

– Must read.

– Interesting.

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