The Montreal Canadiens are off to a dream start in the 2025-26 season, sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a 10-3-2 record after a dominant 6-2 win over Utah on Saturday. It’s a strong turnaround for a team that barely squeezed into the 2024-25 playoffs as the second Wild Card team, only to fall to the Capitals in five games.
This year, Montreal looks far more confident, but one player’s massive contract continues to draw attention for all the wrong reasons.
Which Canadiens Star’s $34.8 Million Contract Is Being Labeled “Dead Weight”?
Patrik Laine, who is in the final year of a four-year, $34.8 million contract, has been tagged as one of Montreal’s least efficient deals. The forward underwent core muscle surgery in October and is expected to miss three to four months. In the five games he has played this season, Laine has recorded only one point.
With Laine’s deal set to expire, however, the Canadiens are projected to gain significant salary-cap relief in 2026. According to NHL analyst Harman Dayal of The Athletic, Laine’s $8.7 million cap hit will come off the books with no dead money. This move is expected to boost Montreal’s projected cap space to $27.9 million with 16 players signed.
Dayal praised Montreal’s overall cap structure, noting that the organization has built “tremendous long-term cost certainty” with core players. He pointed to Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, Juraj Slafkovský, and Kaiden Guhle, who are all signed through the decade on contracts that are expected to age well.
Furthermore, he highlighted that Montreal’s few overpriced contracts, starting with Laine’s, are set to expire soon. “Laine can still do damage on a team’s power play, but his even-strength impact has been subpar and he’s struggled to stay healthy,” Dayal said.
Dayal added that General Manager Kent Hughes could use some of that cap flexibility to lock in Zack Bolduc, a pending restricted free agent, on a long-term deal. “AFP Analytics projects that a six-year deal would cost around $5.74 million annually, compared to a $3.2 million cap hit on a shorter, two-year bridge,” noted Dayal.
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Looking ahead, more financial breathing room is coming in 2027, when the contracts of Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson are set to expire. Conveniently, that’s also when Ivan Demidov’s entry-level deal ends, giving Hughes the flexibility to re-sign key players or make bold moves in the trade market.
This advantageous financial position positions the team for sustained success. As Dayal said, “Everything is lining up perfectly for the Habs cap-wise.” With plenty of cap space and trade assets, Montreal has the foundation and freedom to keep improving over the next 18 months, perhaps even adding another top-six center to play behind Suzuki.