Demidov & Hutson's Performance Bonuses Could Force Kent Hughes to Make a Trade
The Canadiens have a nice problem, but a problem is still a problem.
Productive seasons are expected from Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson, but that could put the Habs in a tricky position at the end of the season.
Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov are the future for the Montreal Canadiens. Hutson shattered records in 2024-2025, and a regression this season is certainly not expected. He won the Calder Trophy with 66 points, including 60 assists, an achievement for a rookie defenseman. His offensive style, vision, and fakes make him a driving force for the Habs' attack, even though he still needs to work a bit on his defensive game.
We've only seen a few games from Demidov, but he's already making everyone excited. After a solid season in the KHL (49 points in 65 games), he arrived in Montreal and has already shown flashes of brilliance in just seven NHL games, with one goal and three assists (including regular season and playoffs).
These two, with their raw talent and emerging chemistry, will clearly boost the Canadiens' offense in 2025-2026.
The performance bonuses they will generate are forcing Kent Hughes to try to trade Carey Price
In an article published yesterday by journalist Marc-Antoine Godin,, he explains how the possibility of seeing the two young Habs' stars have a productive season puts Kent Hughes in a tricky position with the salary cap.
"When a team uses the long-term injured list and its young players earn performance bonuses, the amount of these bonuses is added to the next year's salary cap. For example, this year there is an amount of $1.75M in bonuses included in the Canadiens' salary cap. This is a penalty incurred by a team when bonuses push its cap beyond the new ceiling that takes into account players on long-term injury. Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov are likely to earn significant performance bonuses this season, and not having to count them against the cap next season would certainly be welcome."
-Marc-Antoine Godin, Radio-Canada
-Marc-Antoine Godin, Radio-Canada
This explains all the attention being paid to Carey Price's contract and to Kent Hughes in recent days. In fact, the latest reports on this matter seem to indicate that a Western team is the most likely destination for Price's contract.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 1 | 265 ANSWERS Demidov & Hutson's Performance Bonuses Could Force Kent Hughes to Make a Trade Will Ivan Demidov win the Calder Trophy this year? | ||
| Yes | 223 | 84.2 % |
| No | 42 | 15.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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