New developments in a Sean Monahan-style trade: A hidden card revealed

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Elias Adaime
August 5, 2024 (4:05 PM)

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After a slow start, Kent Hughes' summer recently became active for the Montreal Canadiens.

He resolved the cases of Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron in two days, in addition to extending Kaiden Guhle long-term.

According to the site Puckpedia, which has taken over from CapFriendly, the Habs now have around $5.45M in cap space ahead of the next season. If he can use this cap space to acquire a big player, Kent Hughes can also use this leverage in other ways.

A new Sean Monahan-style trade for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens? Edmonton Oilers targeted, as well as the New York Islanders

On this subject, the excellent Marco D'Amico in a recent article for Responsible Gambling, stated that Kent Hughes could use his leverage to make another Sean Monahan-style trade.

According to his sources, the $5.45M combined with Carey Price's $10.5M salary, which can go on LTIR, would give Hughes a huge advantage.

"The Canadiens have finished signing their free agents, but according to sources, they are still looking to capitalize on their cap space."

"Montreal is in an enviable position, with an owner willing not only to spend up to the cap but to exceed it if necessary," a well-informed source told RG.org. "They might have $5.5M in space or another amount, but being able to use Price's contract to gain an additional $10.5M opens up a world of possibilities."

- Marco D'Amico

Another source in the NHL also confirmed to the site that Kent Hughes is making calls throughout the league. He wants to take advantage of his leverage but doesn't want to get into trouble for the summer of 2025 or subsequent years.

"Montreal is calling us to see if they can capitalize on certain clubs, but putting Carey Price on long-term injury reserve has its own challenges," said another NHL source. "Hughes is looking to do something, but not at the expense of next summer or the years to come."

- Marco D'Amico

If Kent Hughes can place Carey Price's salary on LTIR, he still has the option not to do so. LTIR has its limits, such as not being able to accumulate cap space during the season.

Also, players completing their first professional contract who reach their performance bonuses will leave a penalty of excess bonuses for the following season (teams that exceed the cap due to performance bonuses see their cap lowered the next season by the amount they exceeded the cap). Avoiding using Price's salary to acquire a player would therefore be a priority for Kent Hughes.

The best, as Charles-Alexis Brisebois from DLC says, would be to acquire a one-year contract at around $5M. But interesting players available, like Trevor Zegras or Nikolaj Ehlers, or Patrik Laine, are slightly above this limit.

According to D'Amico, we should look towards the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders, who are both looking to reduce their payroll. Kent Hughes is reportedly analyzing options in this direction.