Five other summer files for Kent Hughes

There’s rarely a quiet day in the shoes of an NHL general manager. After the draft and the free agent period, Kent Hughes still has a few files on his desk.

• Read also: When will David Reinbacher with the Montreal Canadiens?

The newspaper offers you an overview of five files for the DG of the Canadian.

A contract to Alex Newhook

Acquired on June 27, on the eve of the draft in Nashville, against a first-round pick (31^e pick) and a second-round pick (37^e pick) for the Colorado Avalanche, Newhook will be looking for a new contract. A restricted free agent, Newhook finds himself in an identical situation to that of Kirby Dach last summer.

Dach, obtained in a pact involving the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Islanders during the draft in Montreal, had waited until September 7 before writing his name at the bottom of a new agreement. The third overall pick at the 2019 auction signed a four-year, $14.5 million (3.363 million average) contract.

Statistically speaking, Dach and Newhook have similar numbers at the end of their rookie deal. In Chicago, Dach had 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in 70 games. In Newhook’s case, he had 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 82 games last year at Colorado.

Dach had the bargaining power, however, that he was a third overall pick, while Newhook heard his name on the 15th^e rank the same year. Used at center and on the wing, the Newfoundland native is expected to earn a lower salary than Dach. An agreement between two and three million for a period of two or three years would be plausible.

An extension for Montembeault

Samuel Montembeault filled the role of number one goalkeeper last year without ever officially receiving the title. At the World Championships in Riga, Latvia, and Tampere, Finland, he played a big role in winning the gold medal.

Montembeault has made no secret of his desire to negotiate a contract extension this summer. Hughes and Jeff Gorton will throw poles at him. He will earn another million in 2023-2024.

To put down roots in Montreal, the 26-year-old Quebecer will be looking for a considerable raise. He doesn’t yet have established number one status, but he could compare to keepers like Stuart Skinner and Karel Vejmelka. In Edmonton, Skinner was granted a three-year, $7.8 million (2.6 million average) contract extension on December 19, 2022. In the case of Vejmelka, he had signed a three-year and 8.175 million pact (2.725 million on average) with the Arizona Coyotes in March 2022.

Get rid of an attacker

Hughes isn’t the only NHL GM dreaming of freeing himself from a bad contract or two. But it’s not an easy game. Including Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky (still on a rookie contract), the Canadiens have 15 forwards with one-way deals.

The CH could hide Rem Pitlick’s contract (1.1 million) by returning it with the Laval Rocket. Christian Dvorak, operated on a knee, could also start the season in the infirmary.

Despite these two cases, there is an attacker or two too many. Mike Hoffman (4.5 million for another season) and Joel Armia (3.4 million for two more seasons) are cannonballs in a context where the salary cap has only increased by a single million.

Find a replacement for the “A”

Nick Suzuki lost one of his assistants when Joel Edmundson was traded to Washington. Hughes, Gorton and Martin St-Louis won’t have to search for hours to find a successor. David Savard, a 32-year-old defender, is the perfect candidate for this role. Savard is a good big brother to the youngsters on this team and he perfectly embodies the team’s philosophy, always putting the logo before his own interests.

Brendan Gallagher will once again be the other assistant to captain Suzuki.

A job for Paul Byron

Paul Byron no longer has a contract. He has not yet signed his documents for his retirement from the NHL. But he has already mourned a miracle return for several months.

Also in the entourage of the team, Byron mentioned his desire to play a role within the organization. The CH would benefit from hiring a proud and upright athlete like him. He worked hard to reach the NHL, being told repeatedly that he was too small and too frail. Without becoming a big star, Ti-Paul had two 20-goal seasons. You would imagine him in a position in the player development department with Rob Ramage and Francis Bouillon.