Less spectacular than in certain sports such as basketball or American football, the salaries of Montreal Canadiens players nevertheless remain impressive and often amount to millions. With a tough start to the season which has finally recovered since the holidays, the Habs are on a roll and have managed to climb into the picture for the 2025 playoffs.
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The comeback of the Glorieux should delight fans, but at what cost? To dig a little into the finances of these athletes, here are the eight Habs players who will be the best paid during the 2024-2025 season, according to the PuckPedia website.
You should know that hockey players often sign agreements for several years with the team. The total amount of a contract is then divided according to its duration to make an average of the annual salary, which represents the value of the contract. cap hit, or the impact on payroll per season. However, total player salaries actually vary from year to year, including signing bonuses, etc. Which means that a player who has a cap hit very high, might not be the one with the biggest salary during the current season or vice versa.
It is also important to mention that some contracts, including those of David Savard, Jake Evans and Michael Pezzetta, expire at the end of the season and must be renegotiated.
Transactions could therefore be expected between now and the deadline for the current season, set for March 7 at 3 p.m. The formation of the CH is therefore likely to undergo some changes between now and then.
This ranking therefore includes the players who, as of January 16, 2025, are playing with the Montreal Canadiens.
Nick Suzuki
In October 2021, the now 25-year-old center signed an eight-year contract with the Canadiens worth $63,000,000. This year, his base salary is estimated at $10,000,000.
Having a cap hit of $7,875,000, it is from the 2025-2026 season that his income will decrease by a few million per year, but for the moment, captain Nick Suzuki is the highest paid athlete on the team.
Cole Caufield
Not far behind his sidekick, both on the ice and in everyday life, it was on June 5, 2023 that Cole Caufield concluded an agreement worth $62,800,000 with the CH for a period of eight years. Fans will therefore be able to continue to see the star 24 years old for a few more years.
In 2024-25, Caufield will receive $9,975,000, which includes $4,975,000 in base salary and $5,000,000 in signing bonus. And that’s without counting the income he will make from sponsorships.
Patrik Laine
Traded to the Habs in August 2024, the Finnish forward has a four-year contract worth $34,800,000, which he signed when he was still with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
If they are cap hit is 8,700,000 per year, his salary for the 2024-2025 season will reach $9,100,000.
Brendan Gallagher
-Brendan Gallagher is now a veteran of the team with over twelve years wearing the Sainte-Flanelle uniform. His last contract with the Montreal Canadiens dates back to 2020 and represents a value of $39,000,000 for six years, until 2027. On the other hand, several rumors and behind-the-scenes conversations seem to suggest the possibility that the team will buy out his contract in the summer of 2025, which means he could be in his last year in Montreal.
To see if it all comes to fruition. Until then, the forward is expected to receive a salary of $9,000,000 for the 2024-2025 season.
Josh Anderson
With his $38,500,000 agreement signed in 2020, Josh Anderson benefits from an average annual salary of $5,500,000 for seven years. In 2024-2025, a 30-year-old Ontarian will pocket $7,000,000.
From the next seasons, his pay will decrease to $3,500,000 during the 2026-2027 season when the terms of his contract expire.
Mike Matheson
The Habs’ number 8 is the team’s highest-paid defenseman with a total salary of $6,500,000, of which $2,500,000 will come from signing bonuses.
Mike Matheson, who was born in Quebec in 1994, returned to Montreal in 2022 when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, after starting his career with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Christian Dvorak
Christian Dvorak, who is in his fourth season with the Habs, is currently exiting a contract he signed with the Arizona Coyotes in 2018. In 2024-2025, it is expected that the 28-year-old left winger will receive $5,750,000. This will also be its most profitable year under this agreement.
After the end of his contract, at the end of the 2024-2025 season, Christian Dvorak will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA, Unrestricted Free Agent). This means he will be free to sign with any NHL team without his current team, the Montreal Canadiens, receiving compensation.
The Canadiens could, however, choose to re-sign him before the end of his contract if they wish to keep him in their lineup.
However, some sports writers say the athlete has a good chance of being traded before the end of the season. To be continued.
Alexandre Carrier
The 28-year-old Quebecer has just arrived with the CH last December, after playing with the Nashville Predators for several seasons. Having signed a three-year contract in July 2024, accumulating $11,250,000, the defender will receive a salary of $4,600,000 in 2024-2025.
Remember that, although he left the metropolis to settle in British Columbia, Carey Price is currently completing the last years of his $84,000,000 contract with Montreal, including $7,500,000 which he would be paid in 2024-2025, while he is still listed on the long-term injured list.
