MONTREAL, QC. — The past few off-seasons have had Montreal Canadiens fans really learning what it is to cheer for a team in the age of the salary cap. Last year, the door to the vault of the bank was wide open and plenty of money was on the table for Bob Gainey to spend on the free agent market. This allowed the Habs organization to make the acquisitions of such key players as Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta to name a few.
This past year, the situation was a little different for Pierre Gauthier, money being much tighter, and we saw our beloved Habs in a position that didn’t allow them to do too much, yet they somehow were able to make a few moves that could be promising.
Assuming there are no big surprises in the upcoming preseason, here are the new faces we should see wearing the red, white and blue this season:
| Player | Salary/Yrs remaining |
| Lars Eller | $1,270,833/2 Yrs |
| Dustin Boyd | $650,000/2 Yr |
| Jeff Halpern | $600,000/1 Yr |
| P.K. Subban | $875,000/2 Yrs |
| Alexandre Picard | $600,000/1 Yr |
| Alex Auld | $600,000/1 Yr |
Lars Eller, who was obtained in the Jaroslav Halak trade, is a great surprise. I say this because following the trade, many had Eller pegged as being 1-2 years away from being NHL ready. As the season nears, many have him starting the season on the second or third line. He has a 2-way contract so it’s not unimaginable to think he could end up in Hamilton at some point this season, depending on his play.
Dustin Boyd was part of the Sergei Kostitsyn trade to the Nashville Predators. In return, the Canadiens received the rights to Boyd and Dan Ellis. Dan Ellis became an unrestricted free agent, tested the market and signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens were unable to come to an agreement with Boyd before free agency began, but signed him as an unrestricted free agent. By all appearances, he should start the season on the third or fourth line.
(Read Dan Ellis says “Peace Out, Twitter!” to hear how Dan Ellis recently deactivated his twitter account.)
Jeff Halpern is the most recent of the signings. A born fourth line player, that’s exactly where he should be to start the season. He was obtained on the free agent market after pretty much all the other teams passed over him.
P.K. Subban is the great breath of fresh air we all remember from last season. He had two assists in two regular season games, and then impressed the gallery with a goal and seven assists in 14 playoff games. He will be playing under the rookie status this season, and many have him as a strong contender for the Calder trophy, awarded to the league’s outstanding rookie of the season.
Alexandre Picard was obtained on the free agent market. He’s currently pegged as the team’s eighth defenseman, seventh if you consider Markov should be out of the lineup for the start of the season. For now, it’s a little unclear whether he should start the season in Montreal or Hamilton.
Finally, we have Alex Auld. Also obtained on the free agent market. He knows his role, accepts it, welcomes it and should prove to be a great backup to Carey Price this season.
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Cap-wise, where do we stand now? The Habs have a little over $778,000 available on the $59,400,000 cap, therefore not allowing much wiggle room for moves during the season. Some have speculated that Ryan O’Byrne’s days could be numbered in Montreal, but until he’s gone, it’s just a rumor.
The purpose of this piece is actually not to look at the past or present situation, but rather to look forward at what Pierre Gauthier will be faced with in the next off-season, and in a way, he’s already facing it now.
Technically speaking, the Habs have close to $25,000,000 coming off the books at the end of this upcoming season. I guess this might sound great on the surface, but actually, Gauthier will be in a much more difficult situation then it might appear. The reason for this is that a few key signings might engulf a large portion of this amount. Let’s take a look at the situation per position.
Forwards:
| Player | Contract Status | Salary |
| Andrei Kostitsyn | RFA | $3,250,000 |
| Benoit Pouliot | RFA | $1,350,000 |
| Maxim Lapierre | RFA | $900,000 |
| Dustin Boyd | RFA | $650,000 |
| Jeff Halpern | UFA | $600,000 |
| Mathieu Darche | UFA | $500,000 |
| Tom Pyatt | RFA | $500,000 |
That’s seven players whose salaries combine for $7,750,000. Just like this season, next season will probably see the Habs signing many bottom six forwards at sub-million dollar salaries. You would also think that Andrei Kostitsyn and his $3 million dollar plus salary will be gone following this season. A player like Benoit Pouliot has a lot to prove this season following the contract he obtained in the off-season. Many were surprised at the amount he was given, myself included, but he now has one year to prove he belongs in the NHL, otherwise, he should be gone as well.
Defensemen:
| Player | Contract Status | Salary |
| Andrei Markov | UFA | $5,750,000 |
| Roman Hamrlik | UFA | $5,500,000 |
| Hal Gill | UFA | $2,250,000 |
| Josh Gorges | RFA | $1,100,000 |
| Ryan O’Byrne | RFA | $941,667 |
| Alexandre Picard | RFA | $600,000 |
That’s 6 defensemen whose salaries combine for over $16 million dollars. Putting speculations aside that Markov could be traded, should the Montreal Canadiens resign him, it’s fair to say that it will be for slightly more then the $5,750,000 he is currently making. Just how much more only the future will tell. If I had to guess, I would say that Markov’s next contract would be around $7 million dollars per year.
Then we have Josh Gorges, who many have pegged as the next captain of the team. The feeling seems unanimous that this guy is a keeper, and it seems like it would only be a question of time before the Canadiens sign him to an extension. Currently making $1,100,000 on his last year of contract, I would imagine his next contract would be around $3-3.5 million per season.
Assuming I’m anywhere close in my assumptions, that would mean the Canadiens would spend at least $10 million on two defensemen, therefore leaving approx $6 million to spend.
Goalies:
| Player | Contract Status | Salary |
| Alex Auld | UFA | $1,000,000 |
Alex Auld’s (UFA) $1 million dollar salary comes to end following this upcoming season. Whether he is resigned following this season will depend on three things; his play; his relationship with Carey Price; and his willingness to resign for not one penny more.
Read Who is Alex Auld? for my views on Alex Auld’ role this upcoming season.
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So putting all the eggs back into one basket, assuming no player moves are made (which is unlikely mind you), the Habs have close to $25 million dollars available after next season. I’m going to assume that Markov will resign for about $7 million dollars and Josh Gorges for about $3.5 million dollars. I’m also going to assume the Habs will sign a forward for approximately $4 million dollars per season. I’m saying this based on that I believe is that the Habs will not resign Kostitsyn and go after a big free agent in next year’s off season.
If I were to be correct in my assumptions, that will leave the Habs with a little under $10 and a half million dollars to sign 11 players. Even if I am incorrect, the Habs will have a lot of contracts coming to an end, and it’s safe to say, next year’s off-season should look in many ways a lot like this season, with many signings of $600,000-$1 million dollar contracts.
Could you do better then Pierre Gauthier? It’s fair to say, it’s not easy living in the cap age.
(Photo: John Kenney, The Gazette)