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Canadien salary deductions: it shows at the draft
Credit: Capture d'écran / Screenshot

Right now, the Habs have two holdouts: Jeff Petry and Jake Allen. In both cases, they’ll be out of the picture in 11 months.

But when we look at the Habs’ draft picks in 2025, we realize that it’s by withholding money on certain transactions that the Habs have obtained extra picks.

In fact, if we forget the Devils’ 2026 pick (Johnathan Kovacevic), it’s clear that all the picks obtained are related to a question of money.

(Credit: Cap Wages)

It obviously starts with the Flames’ first pick of 2025 (or possibly the Panthers, if Calgary has a bad season), which was acquired for salary reasons. #SeanMonahan

There was no salary hold since the Habs took Sean Monahan’s entire contract in 2022-2023, but still: the consensus is that the pick was acquired for money.

What about all the other picks?

Whether it’s the Penguins’ pick, the Devils’, the Canucks’ or even the Red Wings’, they’re all speaking rights in 2025 linked directly and indirectly to the salary holdback on the Jeff Petry and Jake Allen transactions.

  • Second round, Penguins: pick obtained by picking up 75% of Jeff Petry’s contract.
  • Third round (potentially second round), Devils: pick obtained by retaining 50% of Jake Allen’s contract.
  • Third round, Canucks: pick obtained in exchange for Casey DeSmith, a player acquired by force of circumstance with Jeff Petry… with a view to trading him.
  • Fourth round, Red Wings: pick obtained by keeping 37.5% of Jeff Petry’s contract.

It’s worth noting that, at the moment, the Habs have all their picks and still have players who could enable them to get even more draft picks in the coming months.

Yes, in the short to medium term, we can expect transactions involving picks and young players in exchange for reinforcements on the attack.

Overtime

– Deserved.

– To watch tomorrow.

– Well done.

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