Canadiens Can Weaponize Salary Cap to Become Cup Contender

There are also depth challenges. Injuries, like the ones to Kaiden Guhle  and Patrik Laine, are already challenging the club and forcing head coach Martin St. Louis to make adjustments. Thankfully, Jayden Struble has been able to play the right side on a pairing with Lane Hutson, which has allowed the 2025 Calder Trophy winner to continue playing his offensive game. Forward Ivan Demidov has been finding his stride offensively with nine points, leading all NHL rookies in points and is still the Calder Trophy favourite. Yet, any more injuries, especially to key players, will stretch the team thin as the remaining American Hockey League (AHL) call-ups are still not fully NHL-ready. 

It’s not likely they can keep up the pace they’re currently on, which would see them finish the season with 119 points. It’s one thing to perform in October, yet once the early-season jitters and excitement wear off, that’s where experience can take over from raw skill or enthusiasm. With the injuries, but most of all, without a clear-cut second-line centre, Montreal will have trouble staying at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. 

Montreal is the youngest team in the NHL, and because of that, and their early performances, they are considered a promising young team, but are not yet viewed as a top-tier Stanley Cup contender. That need for a second-line centre could be solved internally, as they have a possible solution with University of Michigan star Michael Hage, who is at an almost two points per game pace early in the season. However, he is going to take several seasons before reaching his potential and filling that role.

Instead, the need for a centre will have to be addressed via trade. Their potential to become true contenders is not only based on the expectation for continued development of their young core players but also because of the depth of prospects, draft picks and most of all, salary cap flexibility.   

Canadiens’ Cap Situation 

The Canadiens have just over $4 million in cap space early in the 2025-26 season, which is going to grow to over $18 million at the trade deadline. But with the new rules that state NHL teams must dress lineups within the salary cap during the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting this season, they will, in reality, have just under $9 million available for use on their roster. But moving forward, the salary cap is expected to skyrocket. The NHL’s projections expect to see a rise from $95.5 million in 2025-26 to $104 million in 2026-27. That is just the beginning, as it is expected to make a significant leap again in 2027-29 to over $113.5 million, where the Canadiens project to have over $65 million in space to fill their roster.   

They have several young core players like Nick Suzuki, Hutson, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky locked up long-term and all for under market value. However, they do still have the space to address future contracts for players like Demidov. 

Weaponizing Cap Space 

This is why Hughes’ focus on cap management is going to be a major reason as to why Montreal is poised to be a contender. Sergey Pryakhin of RG.org analyzed the payroll structures of the last 12 Stanley Cup champions, identified key patterns behind their success, and spending against the cap was an obvious factor. Using 93.4% of total cap space spent as a benchmark, we can look at the Canadiens. 

The Canadiens are currently at 95.8%, but spending isn’t the only factor; roster construction is one as well. Where that money is spent matters. For Hughes, he will have more room to maneuver, as the cap is rising, but also as there are veteran contracts expiring. There are still some high cap hits for players in depth roles, particularly Brendan Gallagher ($6.5 million) and Josh Anderson ($5.5 million), who will come off the books following the 2026-27 season, freeing up $12 million, which is a substantial amount of cap space. With the salaries of players skyrocketing well past $10 million, that amount of cap space gained would be enough to afford a point-per-game player like Martin Necas, who signed with the Colorado Avalanche for $11.5 million.

Why this matters for Montreal is that they have the space and the known need for a centre. More importantly, they are going to be dealing with far more sellers than were available last season, as teams that are on the playoff bubble by the American Thanksgiving weekend will be more willing to sell assets because of two words, Gavin McKenna. Because of this, the market for centres is starting to heat up with names like Nazem Kadri causing a stir, and Alexander Wennberg flying under the radar, but still being mentioned as potential trade bait. 

For Hughes, these players do have some appeal. But finding the right second-line centre, one with an affordable, yet shorter-term contract, will be pivotal for their immediate and mid-term success. Either way, it should be an exciting season for Montreal fans with lots of rumours and maybe even a deal or two.