A really bad news for Kent Hughes

Some rules have the knack for penalizing NHL teams ahead of the draft. The best way to penalize teams that don't always follow the rules is to dock their salary cap. That's the situation faced by six teams next season, including the Montreal Canadiens!

Based on performance bonuses awarded to various players on the team, six teams will see their salary cap reduced by one million dollars for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. At least that's what Frank Seravalli from the Dailyfaceoff website reported, as six teams will start the next campaign with $1 million less to spend, including the Montreal Canadiens.

The Habs Among Teams Penalized on Their Salary Cap for Next Season!

In total, we're talking about 11 teams here, but the number could reach up to 13 if bonuses are activated in the playoffs. The targeted teams will have their salary cap reduced by a few bucks.


Here they are:

Edmonton Oilers: $3,450,000
Dallas Stars: $2,579,261
Washington Capitals: $2,040,000
Los Angeles Kings: $1,850,000
New Jersey Devils: $1,538,897
Montreal Canadiens: $1,007,500
Ottawa Senators: $850,000
New York Rangers: $512,500
Minnesota Wild: $425,000
Philadelphia Flyers: $245,000
Boston Bruins: $50,000
(Florida Panthers): ($500,000)
(Carolina Hurricanes): ($50,450)

According to contracts given by general managers, the Panthers could be required to pay a hefty sum of $500,000 to Kyle Okposo if he wins the Stanley Cup this spring. As for the Carolina Hurricanes, while the Canes will owe $57,500 to Jackson Blake if he plays in 20 games during the season and playoffs. He played one game in 2023-2024.

According to information gathered and shared by Jean-Francois Chaumont, a journalist for the Journal de Montreal, here's how the jackpot will be distributed:

Juraj Slafkovsky: $500,000 (for reaching 20 goals and ice time)
Kaiden Guhle: $212,500 TOI (time on ice)
Jayden Struble: $57,500 GP (games played)
Justin Barron: $212,500 TOI (time on ice)
Monahan: $15,000 (for playing 26 games)

With a salary cap raised to $87.7 million, Kent Hughes will have a maneuvering room of $5.27 million that will be withdrawn from the Canadiens' GM. Contract buyouts and retained salaries for Jeff Petry: $2,343,750 and Jake Allen: $1.925 million will be costly for the team. The Habs will start the next campaign with a salary cap set at $82,423,750 if we rely on a salary cap of $87.7 million.

According to the excellent site Capfriendly, the Habs already have $77,563,750 committed for the next season on 19 contracts. So, there's around $4.86 million left for Kent Hughes to sign three players. Kent Hughes might be tempted to put Carey Price on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) list. With a salary of $10.5 million, the Habs could pull off the same move as the Las Vegas Golden Knights.