Canadiens Star Set for Major Pay Raise

Elliotte Friedman believes that the holdup has been the fact that the cap is rising, and the Canadiens want to balance the books after signing Noah Dobson to a massive contract, making him the highest-paid player on the roster, surpassing captain Nick Suzuki and his two linemates, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.

While Friedman's words aren't definitively what is set to happen, those who know hockey have become accustomed to Friedman getting it right more often than not.

But it does make sense that the idea was to sign Hutson to a deal carrying an average annual value just below the Canadiens' star trio of forwards; however, after a historic rookie season and a Calder Trophy to show for it, general manager Kent Hughes potentially shifted from that idea.

Whether or not he is correct about the idea that Hughes might offer or Hutson may be seeking a dollar value similar to Dobson's is unknown, but given the way he commanded the attention of the opposition each night and still managed to outsmart and pick apart attackers feels indicative that he is going to be paid like a top defenseman.

Dobson's deal will earn him $9.5 million per year over the next eight seasons, so the question is, does Hughes intend to make Hutson the highest-paid Canadien over Dobson, or does he plan to pay Hutson right around the same amount?

Hutson doesn't strike as the player who is going to cause a kerfuffle over pennies to the dollar, but then again, what he just did is just the start of what he could become.

A hefty payday should tell all that needs to be told about the organization's love for Hutson, but also that Hughes and the rest of the Canadiens' management are betting on Hutson taking another step next year, and setting a standard for himself, that good is never good enough.

The offseason, if nothing else, has shown that Hutson isn't caught up in the money conversation, but instead, he is intensely focused on being prepared, utilizing his offseason to improve and show up for the 2025-26 season with a new bag of tricks.

Hutson will be paid handsomely for his brilliance, and it seems a no-brainer that he hasn't yet reached the tip of the iceberg, so a deal signed before the upcoming season could prove to be a big one, but ultimately, it could shape up to be one of the best value contracts across the NHL.