Canadiens Analysis
Canadiens Buyout Options: Kent Hughes’ Impact Shines Through
The NHL’s buyout period is set to open 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, giving the Montreal Canadiens an opportunity to shed some salary.
In previous years, there was a discussion as to which Habs players fit the bill, with names like Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson surfacing as the most logical buyout targets.
However, with several unrestricted free agents set to explore the open market, not to mention Anderson’s resurgence, this time around the Canadiens buyout options are limited, which speaks to the current status of the roster construction.
Montreal Canadiens Buyout Angle
There’s one thing that’s particularly evident when discussing contracts offered by Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes.
He keeps the player’s best path forward in mind, gaining good will from the players in question, while also ensuring the contract is a good fit within the framework of his ideal roster construction.
That framework involves limited term for aging players, and very few no-movement clauses, giving him a certain level of flexibility moving forward.
As it stands, the Canadiens only have five players on contracts that include a no-movement or a no-trade clause: Mike Matheson, Carey Price, Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Patrik Laine. You’ll note that none of those deals were originally offered by Hughes.
He did offer a no-trade contract to former goaltender Jake Allen, likely because Allen was worried about his future with the team, but he convinced him to lift it once a trade was in place with the New Jersey Devils.
Simply put, despite being known as a general manager who is willing to work with his players, Hughes tends to come out on top when it comes to the intricacies involved in contract negotiations.
It’s the type of straightforward and logical approach that is necessary in the modern sports landscape, where bad contracts are handed out like candy by some general managers, including former Habs GM Marc Bergevin.
It’ll be interesting to see if this holds true once we get to serious contender level and need to add key pieces via free agency. Fan & media pressure will be far more intense by then. That’s when mistakes get made, especially after we suffer the inevitable setbacks that are part of the learning process for a younger team. HuGo will eventually feel the heat of expectations and then it’ll be key for them to shut out the noise and stick to the plan.
Totally agree! Only, time will tell….
Josh Anderson resurgence? That’s actually funny. If we check the stats, he had a whopping seven more points this season than he did last season. For a total of 27. Hardly a resurgence. That’s worthy of being on a third line, and how much salary cap is he taking up? I can go back as far as the biggest mistake that Hughes made was trading Toffoli instead of THIS guy. Since then, he should have either been traded or bought out. At this point, I just don’t even care anymore. I’m over this situation.