The Montreal Canadiens’ surprise journey to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 marked the beginning of a lengthy absence from the playoffs. They haven’t advanced past last place in the Atlantic Division since then, in fact. With a new ‘Big 3’ at the helm, the Montreal Canadiens are poised for a promising era despite their recent struggles. The Canadiens extended the contract of teenage forward Juraj Slafkovsky by eight years on the first day of free agency. The former first-overall pick is still under contract with the Canadiens until 2033 to finish out his entry-level deal.
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky and the Montreal Canadiens have extended Slafkovsky’s contract by eight years. In terms of points scored by Canadiens players during the 2023–24 season, the order of finish was Suzuki (77), Caufield (65), and Slafkovsky (50). These are the pinnacle of their careers, and they will continue to rise until they reach their primes. The Canadiens have all three of these big guns signed for less than $8 million a year, which is a huge boon to their roster. With an annual salary of $7.875 until 2030, Caufield will be on the job until 2031, and Slafkovsky will be on the job until 2033, all for $7.6 million.
The Canadiens have a lot of salary flexibility to add firepower if they start to see more success, thanks to the modest deals of their top players. The Canadiens should benefit greatly from having those three players committed, but they may be able to add to their core with additional strong young players. The Canadiens are interested in signing 22-year-old defenseman Kaiden Guhle to a long-term contract, and he is available for an extension this summer. Though they’ve had a rough go of it recently, the Canadiens could emerge as an NHL superpower once again in due course.
