When every dollar counts, it is important to manage the maximum salary tightly, and Cole Coffield’s eventual arrival in the Canadians squad should not have much of an impact on the team payroll.
In fact, the Canadiens’ first selection contract is built in 2019 to allow them to make their NHL debut soon.
There are no big bonuses in sight
Firstly, Cole Caufield’s salary is $ 792,500 this year (that includes a signing bonus of $ 92,500 that he will get soon), which is below his average salary for the next two seasons which would be $ 925K per year in the NHL.
Other performance bonuses have been added to his deal this season. $ 25,000 if playing ten games and $ 107,500 if playing twenty. I would like to point out that the Canadians have 25 games left in the season and 21 will be left when they finish their 40s. Knowing that he will continue his season at Laval, it is almost impossible for him to play 25 matches in the NHL this season.
These are the only performance bonuses that Cole Caufield will receive this year.
In fact, the agreement he signed on Saturday stipulates that he will not be able to obtain any other type of individual bonus that the selected players receive in the first round naturally, which means that his salary will not be artificially inflated.
In short, this would allow him to make it to the NHL this season because Marc Bergevin wouldn’t have to do big financial gymnastics if he was eventually called to the NHL.
Like it or not, the fact that up to six players can be placed in the reserve squad this year, due to the pandemic, is a huge plus.
For example, Canadians save more than $ 1 million from his salary every time Paul Byron is there.
Obviously, the arrival of another player, through a deal, may put obstacles in the way of seeing Cole Caufield develop in Montreal this season, but again, it is almost certain that a current player in the squad will be exchanged. Marc Bergevin decided to trade for the last time with the deal deadline of April 12th.
A different context next year
We already know Canadian payroll will continue to be tough to manage next season, with $ 64 million already earmarked for just 13 players. Therefore, $ 17 million left to spend on at least eight other players.
It is not much. This is why Cole Caufield will be “limited” next season. As expected, it will reach $ 925,000 in the NHL, but the Type A performance bonus will be capped at $ 300,000, giving Marc Bergevin more flexibility.
Only during the third year of his contract will Caufield be able to maximize his bonuses, as he will be able to receive up to an additional $ 850,000 which will be added to his $ 925K salary.
Eric Stahl’s contract has been recognized
Although Eric Stahl will not be playing this week due to the quarantine, it is important to note that his salary is included in the team’s salary. So $ 1.625 million has been added, which has a huge impact.
In fact, there are currently 21 players (12 forwards, seven defenders and two goalkeepers) on the Canadian payroll for $ 81,028,917 million according to Cap Friendly. I wonder if the team will not be inclined to play with seven defenders in the upcoming matches. This isn’t guaranteed to happen, but to save a few bucks, this is an option that should definitely be taken into account.
We must also ask ourselves, in the present context, if it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Paul Byron to find his position again due to his $ 3.4 million per year salary.
Une option serait de placer le nom de Ben Chiarot sur la liste des blessés à long terme, ce qui veut dire que son salaire ne compterait plus sous le plafond salarial, mais ce serait une solution passagere puisqu’il est déjà assuré de revenir au jeu Earlier than expected.
In short, Canadian Vice President of Hockey Operations and Legal Affairs John Sedgwick will have a lot of work to do to find the perfect scenario in the current context.
And before I forget it, I’d just like to remind you that there is no maximum salary that needs to be respected in the qualifiers, which means Dominic Ducharme will be able to use his best items every night.