$53 million in savings: The CH’s “culture” will eventually pay off…

Those who have been reading my blog for 25 years (yes, there really are some!) know that I'm not a big fan of terms with quasi-esoteric connotations when it comes to sports. 

Terms like “aura” and “culture” always make me smile a little.

Even if it almost sounds like you're hearing the voices of angels, “Shea Weber's aura”—or worse, “Kaiden Guhle's aura”—has never really won much in the NHL…

That being said, when it comes to “aura,” I much prefer the WAR (Wins Above Replacement) statistic!

Then again, while “culture” has been a hot topic—almost in unison—among our politicians this week, here with the Canadiens, and in a completely different sense, it's a word we've been hearing a lot since the Bergevin years and one that's also been widely echoed by the Gorton/Hughes/St-Louis administration.

Culture 1.0 Under Bergevin

Under Bergevin, it was embodied primarily in the locker room by players like Weber, Price, and Gallagher—joined by Suzuki in 2019–2020—as well as, in 2020–2021, Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundsson, Corey Perry, and Eric Staal.  

But with Michel Therrien, Claude Julien, and Dominique Ducharme succeeding one another, the team didn't really have the reputation, stability, or charisma among the coaches needed to effectively promote and instill this culture in the locker room. 

We'll remember, among other things, the famous “No excuses” slogan, which didn't last long toward the end of Michel Therrien's tenure…

And we also know that Bergevin didn't do a great job fostering a positive organizational culture throughout the rest of the organization, from employees to former players.

According to many, the culture had even become rather toxic internally…

You know, when it starts at the top…

In short, it was more of a “portmanteau” kind of “culture” that, at its core and at best, referred to the positive leadership of a few individuals in the locker room. 

It's safe to say that Geoff Molson certainly weighed all of this carefully when he decided to look elsewhere to find new people, as well as new ideas and ways of doing things, during his major shake-up in the fall of 2021.

Unparalleled “cultural ambassadors”…

Thus, very quickly, Kent Hughes, Martin St-Louis, Nick Bobrov, and Vincent Lecavalier joined forces with Jeff Gorton—a man who is affable, intelligent, funny, kind, calm, humble, professional, and passionate about his work.  

It's easy to see why Gorton likes to surround himself with high-caliber people and believes this is how you build a winning culture.

A bit less calm, but possessing pretty much all the same qualities as his boss, Hughes would go on to be the one to implement this culture through the organization's day-to-day operations.

His mission is to promote the organization's philosophy to NHL agents and players, starting with his own.

As for St-Louis, superbly recruited by the Hughes/Gorton duo, could the Habs have hoped for a better communicator and a better representative of this culture among the players (and fans)?

Highly credible, St. Louis can wear just about every hat imaginable with his players:
– That of an undrafted, underrated player who had to work his butt off–
That of a star player and league scoring champion–
That of a Stanley Cup champion–
That of a player who never stops striving to improve–
That of a veteran who must accept slightly fewer responsibilities

St. Louis must embody a spirit of sacrifice, selflessness, and accountability every day with phrases that would please the Stoics and Spinoza, such as: “Everything must start with the truth.”

A Star General Manager, Backed by the Numbers

But let's get back to Kent Hughes, since in my opinion he's one of the big stars of the summer in the NHL.

Not so much because of what he has or hasn't done, but mainly because of the way he is increasingly setting himself apart from the vast majority of his colleagues, who even this week continued to hand out absurd contracts across the NHL.

Of course, history will remember that there will be a “before” and an “after” the hostile offer made by Daniel Brière to Leo Carlsson.

But still…

So, while Joe Sakic and the Avalanche will pay Cale Makar $20.4 million per season through 2035, the Habs will shell out an average of $8.85 million to Lane Hutson through 2034.

At that price, which of the two players would you choose?

You'd really have to be “crazy” about his “aura” to choose Makar!

Unless you'd prefer Bowen Byram at $12 million until roughly the probable end of humanity predicted by former AI gurus?

Then, while:

– the Ducks will pay $13.5M to Cutter Gauthier (through 2032) and the Stars can't agree to more than a one-season deal with Jason Robertson ($12M); the Canadiens will pay $9.1M to Demidov (through 2035);

– the Caps will shell out $10.5 million over eight years to Justin Leonard and Alex Tuch, not to mention $6.35 million to Justin Sourdif; the Canadiens will pay $7.6 million to Slafkovsky (2033), $2.15 million to Kreider (2027), and $5.5 million to Newhook (2031); 

– The Bruins will pay $7.2 million to Fraser Minten (2034); Hughes has agreed to a deal with Bolduc for $4.2 million (2030);

– The Devils will pay $7.25 million for the services of Luke Evangelista, a 12-goal scorer; the Habs still have five more years left on Cole Caufield's contract—a 50-goal scorer—at $7.85 million; 

– The Sharks will pay $8.25 million (2030) to Jacob Trouba (age 32); the Habs will be happy to pay $6 million to their veteran Matheson through 2031.

In short, there are bad contracts of all kinds all over the NHL and on almost every team.

But there are NO longer any in Montreal. 

And this is largely due to the culture we've successfully instilled in the players, who are volunteering one after another to leave money—A LOT of money—on the table.

That money has already helped land Dobson and Kreider and will undoubtedly come in handy again in the coming months and years—possibly for even bigger names…

Break out your calculators!

So, just for fun, in today's dollars, based on the current market, how much money would each core player be leaving on the table, and how much would Kent Hughes and the Habs save?

We're talking (without exaggerating too much—you be the judge) about a potential savings of over $53 million!!!

$53 million!!!

Now that's what you call “buy-in” from the players—selflessness and sacrifice—ka-ching, ka-ching!!!

And that's where this “culture” becomes tangible—where it can even be quantified in hard cash—and where it can eventually help you win championships.

In any case, it's a formula that allowed the Hurricanes—who also have a pretty solid culture and manage their salary cap quite well—to finally win last spring.

Who knows, maybe it's Gorton, Hughes, and St-Louis who have that “special aura” after all.

And they, too, left a lot of money on the table.