The Montreal Canadiens have been on a roll since the start of December and much of this success can be attributed to Patrik Laine‘s return. Laine was acquired from the Blue Jackets in the offseason in exchange for Jordan Harris. Laine went down with an injury in the preseason, keeping him out until early December. But since his return, he has scored ten goals in 15 games. Nine of these tallies have come on the powerplay which has found success due to the additions of Laine and rookie defenseman Lane Hutson. With the acquisition of Laine, the Canadiens find themselves with two elite scorers in Laine and Cole Caufield. Caufield already has 24 goals on the year which ranks him amongst the best in the NHL.
Patrik Laine is signed for one more season past this year at an AAV of $8.7 million. This makes him eligible to sign an extension this summer. Now that they have found some star power up front, should the Canadiens look at extending Laine this offseason? Let’s look at some of the possibilities for a Patrik Laine extension with the Montreal Canadiens.
Montreal Canadiens Patrik Laine extension
Canadiens Salary Cap Situation
The Canadiens and general manager Kent Hughes created an internal cap which began with Nick Suzuki. Suzuki’s contract was signed by former GM Marc Bergevin. Hughes set his contract as their ceiling when he signed Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky to similar deals that come in just below Suzuki’s $7. 875 million a year deal. While Laine’s deal comes in at a higher AAV, the deal wasn’t signed with the Canadiens. This is something Hughes alluded to when he acquired him. This begs the question of whether or not he would be willing to give Laine a bigger deal than his captain. Laine has made a significant amount of money throughout his career and his love for the game has been revitalized thus far in Montreal. With that being said, it’s possible he would be willing to take a small pay cut to stay with the Canadiens.
The Canadiens do have some other things to consider when it comes to extending Laine. They have to look at resigning Jake Evans whose deal expires this season. Kaiden Guhle‘s $5.5 million dollar deal also kicks in next season, as does Juraj Slafkovsky’s contract. Not to mention they will eventually have to resign Lane Hutson to what will likely be a monster deal. They will get some cap relief however as Christan Dvorak, David Savard, and Joel Armia likely won’t be resigned. The Jake Allen and Jeff Petry retentions will also come off the books.
Laine’s Future with Canadiens
Laine is currently a mainstay in the team’s top six and top powerplay. However, the Canadiens need to assess where he fits into their future. They have many young players who could see top-six minutes in the NHL sooner rather than later. Russian super-prospect Ivan Demidov is set to come to North America next season. Joshua Roy should also graduate to the NHL while Michael Hage should be in Montreal within two years.
The Canadiens should also be players in free agency in the next couple of years. You’d have to think that if a player of Mikko Rantanen‘s caliber were to become available Hughes would at least do his due diligence. This begs the question of whether or not a player like Laine is worth extending at a high price tag.
Canadiens should be patient with Laine extension
The Canadiens should be cautious and patient with a Laine extension. Laine’s goal-scoring ability is undeniable but so is his injury history. Laine is also a one-dimensional player, albeit that one dimension is the hardest thing to do in hockey which is score goals. Still, there is no rush to extend Laine this offseason. The Canadiens should put Laine’s contract on the back burner and focus on free agency this offseason. The team has taken the next step this year and could be one or two additions away from being a consistent playoff team.
The Montreal Canadiens extending Laine should be a priority but not this offseason. Hughes needs to assess his cap situation and his options before focusing on extending him. Laine has quickly become a fan favorite in the city and Habs fans would be delighted to hear of an extension. But with that being said, patience and caution are key with this player and if he truly wants to remain a Canadien, a deal will get done even if it’s not this offseason.
Main Photo: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
The post Montreal Canadiens Extension Possibilities For Forward appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.