A $15 million-plus signing for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens narrowly avoided
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The excellent Anthony Desaulniers just shared a very interesting post.
Imagine for a moment that Lane Hutson hadn’t played those two games in 2024, whether because of an injury or another reason, as we saw with Michael Hage.
It could have changed everything for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens.
Desaulniers raised a fascinating question:
“Just imagine for a second.
Lane Hutson doesn’t play those two games against Detroit in 2024 and only becomes eligible for a contract extension this summer.
After two seasons with 66 and 78 points.
How much would he have signed for?”
After Bowen Byram signed for $12.5 million per season, after Leo Carlsson signed an offer sheet, and after contract prices exploded across the league, the scenario is dizzying.
Following seasons of 66 and 78 points, Hutson’s value on the market would have been enormous.
Based on all of that, Hutson likely would have signed for around $15 million per season instead of $8.85 million annually.
And knowing that, would young Ivan Demidov have asked for a similar amount?
Two games changed Lane Hutson’s contract timeline
By playing those two games against Detroit in 2024, Hutson started his contract-extension clock earlier.
That small detail changed everything for the organization.
By becoming eligible sooner, he allowed the club to sign him before prices skyrocketed.
The result greatly benefits the Canadiens.
Kent Hughes signed his two best young players to very reasonable contracts for eight seasons.
Building a winning team is as much about talent as it is about handing out smart contracts.
And yet, all of this hinged on very little.
Hutson remains one of the biggest bargains in the NHL today. And in a way, two seemingly insignificant games in 2024 played a major role.
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A $15 million-plus signing for Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens narrowly avoided
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