Montreal Canadiens Uncategorized

When Dan Milstein pressures the CH to add a star player
Marc-Olivier Cook
When Dan Milstein pressures the CH to add a star player
Credit: Capture d'écran / YouTube

On July 1, Kent Hughes settled an important matter.

He offered an eight-year contract extension ($9.15 million per season) to one of his best young players, Ivan Demidov.

At the time, we all thought it was a great deal for the Canadiens. And with NHL salaries on the rise since July 1, that's even more true today.

Dan Milstein would have liked to see his client earn more money, but Demidov didn't want to be the highest-paid forward (by far) on the Canadiens. So the player and the organization agreed that Demidov would earn $9.15 million per year from 2027 to 2035.

But in Milstein's view, this could help the Canadiens attract another big-name player (or two) because of the team's salary structure. And he's not wrong:

“Maybe there's room for one or two superstars with the contract structure they have in place.” — Dan Milstein

Note that TVA Sports also published an article on the subject.

Here, it's clear that Milstein is putting a little more pressure on the CH to sign quality players.

He didn't say outright that Kent Hughes must do everything he can to act quickly… but the gist of his message is pretty clear: since Demidov won't be commanding a crazy salary like other young NHL players, the Canadiens will have room on the payroll to land a big name.

It remains to be seen, then, what the Habs' GM will be able to do with all of this.

We know that the summer of 2027 is shaping up to be a real headache for the Canadiens, but we also know that the team is likely to have money to spend as the NHL salary cap is set to rise next year.

Will Kent Hughes finally be able to pull off the big move we've been waiting for quite some time in Montreal? I can't wait to see what happens…

In Brief

– James Reimer placed on waivers in New York.

– I love that quote.

– That makes sense.

– That would be something special.