How Canadians Clean Up Hat Space to Get a Big Increase – Hockey Writer – Montreal Canadian

In the offseason, the Montreal Canadiens both won Noah Dobson and Zachary Bolduc in the offseason. Canadians currently have a cap of more than $5 million, mainly due to Carey Price’s contract, which is on the books until the season begins.

Related: What Can Canadians Have to Offer for Landing Jordan Kyrou

While rumors continue to link Habs to names like St. Louis Bruce winger Jordan Kyrou, any major addition requires some creative salary operations. Nevertheless, as mentioned earlier, HAB is not in trouble. In fact, there are nearly $38 million of expected cap space for 2026 and they are very flexible. But some action may be required in the short term.

Clear the Carey Price contract

General Manager Kent Hughes’s most straightforward solution is to find a team near Cap Floor that is willing to undertake a $10.5 million contract. While the deal will move to the Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) at the start of the season, the blocks will be blocked in the summer. During the offseason, the team was allowed to be 10% higher than the upper limit, but this edge has little breathing to the Canadians’ breathing space, such as the acquisition of Kyrou.

San Jose Shark is the primary candidate. They have a minimum limit of less than $2 million and are expected to sell their works at the next season’s trade deadline. The insured deal that acquires Price will help them stay on the floor without paying their full salary. For Montreal, attaching the midterm draft to the move would be a small price to pay for the cap flexibility it will offer. This is not just a short-term relief; now, it will be a green light, and a more aggressive roster is available now.

Canadians can move Expired contracts

Another option is to move one of their expiration transactions. Patrik Laine and Mike Matheson are in the final year of their contract and may have been replaced in the long-term vision of Canadians. Laine, despite her talent, is still comparable to Habs’ identity. His defensive inconsistency and hard work last season didn’t match the team’s resilience and speed culture. With Bolduc waiting on the wings and likely ready to play six roles next season, HABS may try to move Ryan before the season begins.

Matheson’s situation is even more tricky. He has been underperforming in his year and is a leader in the back end. But with Dobson joining, Montreal will soon find itself overloading on the blue line. Matheson will be 32 next summer, expanding his potentially inconsistent with the team’s youth-driven schedule. With the right offer, he may be relocated without disrupting the stability of his lineup.

Canadians can afford patience

Even without movement this summer, Canadians will still be in a decent state. Once Price’s contract moves to LTIR, Montreal will have more than $4 million in available hat space. This is enough to make smaller additions or lay the foundation for acquisitions on trade deadlines.

This is the advantage of having a strong hat structure and a young core. Hughes has no pressure to overreact or force trading. He can wait for the right opportunity, whether it’s Kyrou or someone else, and take action when the timing is ideal. Montreal doesn’t need to win now, but the window is opening and most importantly positioning the team as long-term success.

Canadians are not stuck. They have no trouble. But they are in a position where future flexibility requires action. Whether that means moving a price contract, trading Ryan or Matheson waits for an expiration deal, or just waiting for the LTIR to start, management has the option. Habs’ hat paper may be tight right now, but there is more room to manipulate than it seems. When a serious opportunity arises, it’s like getting high impact, they’ll be ready.