The National Hockey League (NHL) has too few revolutionary managers, hockey heads who reinvent the way to build a team, who do not hear the outside noise.
There are too many general managers in this league who continually look at what is happening to their neighbors and who try to reproduce the successful model of their opponents, including a trend that I have very little explanation for.
That of covering with gold kid under 22 years old which is at the heart of his entry contract. A kid usually from the first round of the draft, but who is not a franchise player, let alone generational.
Offer a shower of millions of dollars to Connor McDavid or Connor Bedard, perfect. But offering $60 million and more to 20-year-old guys who are still enigmas, I don’t understand.
Last year, despite his success in the second half of the season, the debate raged on this board regarding Juraj Slafkovsky. My point was simple: the Slafkovsky clan and the Kent Hughes-Jeff Gorton clan had every interest in granting the longest possible bridge contract to the young striker.
“Slaf” still had one year left on his entry contract. He had just scored 20 goals and amassed 50 points, but he had only one productive streak of 35 games in two campaigns.
The Canadian granted him $7.6 million per season for eight years, an agreement which will begin next season. Currently, we can say that Slafkovsky is not worth that much money. Fortunately, he has plenty of time left to justify this retribution, but, for now, the indicators are dark yellow.
In the past, the Ottawa Senators have made the same mistake. Pierre Dorion agreed $64 million for eight years to Thomas Chabot with one year remaining on his entry contract. He had just amassed 55 points, but since then his best campaign in six years has been… 41 points.
Not satisfied, good Pierre repeated his blunder with Jake Sanderson to whom he agreed $64.4 million over 8 years in September 2023 while there was also one season remaining on his entry contract. Sanderson had just collected 32 points. It jumped to… 38 last year.
I understand that Hughes and Gorton are 100% behind the very first selection of their reign as hockey director of the Canadiens.
But I think the question is legitimate. Shouldn’t they have agreed on a bridge contract with the giant Slafkovsky? Just like they did with Kirby Dach, another high pick they acquired via trade?
The CH hung around before reaching an agreement with Dach. Result, four-year bridge contract at less than $3.4 million per season. With what we are currently seeing, it is difficult to say that Hughes and Gorton did not act brilliantly.
As Marc Bergevin did during the contract of $4.5 million per year for six seasons granted to Max Pacioretty after a two-year bridge contract following his entry contract. As he did with Brendan Gallagher and his agreement of $3.75 million per season for six years at the end of his entry contract, work wasted by a candy agreement of $6.5 million per season by the following.
I’m under the impression that Hughes and Gorton bet far ahead with Slafkovsky by saying that after only two seasons out of eight of his contract the salary cap would reach $100 million. Seeing far ahead is an essential quality for a hockey architect, but paying in advance for services that are far from being rendered and for which we have few guarantees seems risky to me.
