The Canadiens no longer have any big-name players to re-sign before 2030

Félix Forget
The Canadiens no longer have any big-name players to re-sign before 2030
Credit: Canadiens de Montréal

Earlier today, the Canadiens signed Jakub Dobes to a three-year contract extension. This means the goaltender is now under contract through 2030.

And let's not forget that yesterday, the club also reached an agreement with Ivan Demidov on the terms of an eight-year contract. That, too, is a major issue that's been settled.

When you consider these two contracts, it becomes clear that the Canadiens have, without much fanfare, secured a significant portion of their core roster. In addition to these two players, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, and Kaiden Guhle are also among the players under contract through 2030.

And when you look at that, one thing becomes clear: the fact that all these guys are signed through 2030 means that, by then, Kent Hughes won't have any big names from his current core to re-sign.

Jacob Fowler and David Reinbacher will need new contracts in 2029, but they aren't yet major pieces of the team's current core. And Oliver Kapanen, with all due respect, doesn't yet deserve to be in that category either.

This summer, the team must reach agreements with Zachary Bolduc, Kirby Dach, and Arber Xhekaj, who are restricted free agents. Next summer, Josh Anderson, Phillip Danault, and Alexandre Carrier (and Samuel Montembeault, if he hasn't left by then) will become unrestricted free agents, while Alex Newhook, Oliver Kapanen, and Jayden Struble will be restricted free agents.

In the summer of 2028, only Alexandre Texier will become a free agent (without compensation)… and a year later, only Jake Evans will be in that situation. But like all the players mentioned before them, they aren't part of the team's core.

(Credit: Screenshot/CapWages)

There's reason to believe that starting in 2030, the Habs' big names are unlikely to sign another contract as lucrative for the team. The players will then be eligible for unrestricted free agency (rather than restricted), and after leaving money on the table for years, they'll likely want to secure their first truly big contract.

Perhaps they'll leave a little on the table if the team's culture is still as strong by then, but they'll have much more leverage at that point. And it's safe to assume that the way Suzuki handles these negotiations will set the stage for everyone who follows.

We also know that another factor making the guys willing to leave money on the table is the fact that they can easily secure it elsewhere in the form of sponsorships. Ivan Demidov, for example, has partnered with a wide range of brands… and earlier today, we learned that Lane Hutson (who also has several partnerships) is now an ambassador for Sports Rousseau, Hockey Experts, and L'Entrepôt du Hockey.

Could this also be a factor that will encourage players to leave a little money on the table in a few years? Possibly. But what's clear is that there's a natural window of opportunity open until 2030, with a core group of nine players under contract until then: it's up to Kent Hughes to capitalize on this now.


In a nutshell

– Still. And other goalies could eventually surpass him, too.

– That's right.

– Interesting.

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