Nikita Kucherov: The Same Contract Could Earn Him More in Montreal Than in Florida

Félix Forget
Nikita Kucherov: The Same Contract Could Earn Him More in Montreal Than in Florida
Credit: Getty Images

The infamous tax rate, as we know, has been a hot topic throughout the NHL for years. Seeing Florida teams win the Stanley Cup multiple times in recent years has brought this issue to the forefront of discussions.

In the eyes of many, it gives teams like the Lightning, the Panthers, and the Stars an unfair advantage, while it really hurts teams like the Canadiens.

Except that Jeff Gorton, a little over a year ago, mentioned that the Habs have options to get around all of this. And Nicolas Cloutier, in an article for TVA Sports tonight, provided a striking example using the case of Nikita Kucherov.

In fact, if the Canadiens use all the tools at their disposal (signing bonuses and retirement agreements), a player like Kucherov could earn more money in Montreal than in Florida if he signs the same contract.

In other words, for the same gross salary, his take-home pay in Montreal could be (slightly) higher than his take-home pay in Florida.

If Kucherov signs a four-year maximum-salary contract ($20.8 million per year), he could earn about $50,000 more in Montreal in terms of take-home pay.

These are the kinds of levers Gorton was talking about: this allows the Canadiens to be highly competitive by using all the tools at their disposal.

All of this is even more impressive when you consider that the new collective bargaining agreement puts the Habs at a slight disadvantage in this regard. From now on, a maximum of 60% of a contract's value can be paid out as signing bonuses, which wasn't the case before. In practice, it's now more difficult for the Canadiens (who are fortunate to have an owner with the financial muscle to pay out large signing bonuses, as he did for Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov) to maximize the effectiveness of this particular lever.

But even with the new rules in place, the Habs are still able to offer a net salary similar to what teams in Florida can offer. That's worth noting, especially when one of the club's potential targets is a player who's been playing in Florida for nearly 15 years.


In a Nutshell

– Hehe.

– A name to watch.

– The Blackhawks want help up front.

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