Sean Monahan’s contract: designed to facilitate a transaction

Kent Hughes has pulled off another coup by offering Sean Monahan a new one-year contract. Sean Monahan is back with the Habs (danslescoulisses.com), Monahan could be a godsend for the Habs. However, he’ll have to stay healthy, which is why Kent Hughes has added a clause to his contract allowing him to earn an extra $15,000 depending on the number of games played.

But $15,000 in bonuses doesn’t seem like much. It’s mostly for image and to give Monahan a little extra motivation, without risking the Habs’ tactics.

Sportsnet whistleblower Elliotte Friedman recently explained in the latest episode of his podcast, 32 Thoughts, why the Habs general manager shaped Monahan’s contract the way he did.

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– Mike Giletto (@mike_giletto) June 21, 2023

In fact, such a contract would facilitate a future transaction, both for the Habs and their business partner.

To be more precise, too large a bonus can become a penalty on a team’s payroll the following year.

“If you go over the salary cap like the Bruins did this year, all bonuses will be added to next year’s payroll. For example, the Bruins will be $4.5 million under the cap next year because of their bonuses.” – Elliotte Friedman

Friedman goes on to explain that the CH needs flexibility. It’s a young team, and many young players will soon need a new contract that’s more expensive than an NHL entry-level contract. Avoiding financial penalties therefore becomes very important.

And let’s face it, Monahan could very well become a luxury rental player by next season’s trade deadline. We’re talking about a player who produced at a rate of 0.680 points per game in 2022-23. That ranks him 140th in the NHL, right up there with the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, Evander Kane, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Seguin.

But the Canadiens’ goal could also be to keep him in Montreal to help surround the young team. Monahan has done a great job of helping the youngsters this year, even when injured.

Montreal seems to be in control of the situation, just hoping that Monahan will be fit to play for the majority of the year.

Gossip

– Dubois has fun in Montreal.

Pierre-Luc Dubois and David Savard at Saputo Stadium!

Thanks for the visit boys 🏒⚽️#CFMTL #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/6EpaO3so0w

– CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) June 22, 2023

– Montreal needs reinforcements.

– Let’s get it done as soon as possible.