We have finally learned the amount of the contract that Kent Hughes will need to offer Pierre-Luc Dubois to sign him with the Canadiens

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Elias Adaime
May 19, 2023 (6:25 PM)

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For many Canadiens fans, the question isn't if, but when Pierre-Luc Dubois will suit up in the Habs uniform.

Many hockey fans in Quebec would like to see the Winnipeg Jets' forward land in Montreal this summer, but there are others who wouldn't mind if Kent Hughes waited until the summer of 2024, when Dubois will reach his full free agency, to sign him to a contract with his childhood team.

But there's also the option of the Canadiens acquiring Dubois this summer and subsequently, he signs a long-term contract with the Canadiens and between you and me, it is quite likely that this scenario would be much less expensive in terms of money for the Canadiens organization.

Because if he were to stay in Winnipeg for the 2023-2024 season and have the season of his life, he could literally break the bank through the free agent market.

But the purpose of the exercise here is to know what kind of contract Pierre-Luc Dubois could get on the market and as reported byMarco Normandin, from Habsolumentfan.com, two journalists covering the Canadiens have made some comparisons with other NHL players.

According to Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine Godin from The Athletic, Dubois' future contract could resemble those of Roope Hintz of the Dallas Stars, and Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders.

The latter signed an eight-year contract worth a total of $73.2 million with the Islanders, which averages $9.15 million per year, while Hintz also signed an eight-season deal worth $67.6 million with the Stars, averaging $8.45 million per year.

But what is interesting here is that both players signed their last contract when they were about 25 years old and were a year away from becoming free agents, plus they had arbitration rights, exactly the situation that Dubois currently finds himself in.

This might suggest that due to the increase in the salary cap and also the rise in the market in recent years, it would be quite surprising if Dubois' annual salary were less than $8.5, or even $9 million per season.

He would thus become the highest-paid player with the Canadiens, among active players as I am not including Carey Price's salary here.

Would it make sense to pay Pierre-Luc Dubois more than Nick Suzuki, who will earn $7.875 million per season until 2029-2030?

Truth be told, it is difficult to answer this question as the signing of the Canadiens' captain was done under very different circumstances than what could happen with the Quebecer.

What do you think?