Montreal’s Cap Strategy: Canadiens Face Hutson Contract Dilemma

As the NHL salary cap begins to rise significantly, young restricted free agents are finding themselves at the heart of a shifting contract landscape. For the Montreal Canadiens and defenseman Lane Hutson, that means determining a new contract that reflects his actual value—without disrupting the team’s internal structure.

While fans eagerly await an extension for the skilled blueliner, Elliotte Friedman noted on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast episode that the Canadiens initially hoped to keep Hutson’s number under Nick Suzuki’s $7.875 million cap hit. Suzuki, the team’s captain and centerpiece forward, has been the financial benchmark for Montreal’s core. However, the market has moved.

A contract like Noah Dobson’s—eight years at $9.5 million per season signed this summer—is now seen as a more realistic comp, which creates potential issues for the Canadiens and their contract negotiations moving forward. As one insider put it, teams and players are “still figuring out” the new sweet spot for long-term RFA deals, especially as they try to project future jumps in the salary cap.

The good news is that Hutson is one of the few big deals the Canadiens have to worry about. Most of their key players are locked into what will be viewed as team-friendly deals over the next few seasons. Still, the Canadiens may ultimately have to accept that Hutson’s extension will land well above Suzuki’s figure, especially as the 2025-26 offseason sees another leap in the salary cap. Comparable defensemen will ink richer deals, and Hutson may be the best among them.

Should Canadiens Push for Hutson Contract Extension, Or Will Hutson Wait?

As is the case with many teams that have big-name UFA and RFA players waiting for the market to sort itself out, this is a fluid situation in Montreal. Hutson’s extension may be about timing.

But with each passing day, the pressure grows on the Canadiens to strike a balance between rewarding a future star and preserving the peace on what players are being paid already by the team. Lane Hutson’s next contract won’t just shape his future—it might quietly reshape Montreal’s.

Next: From McDavid to Hutson: How a Market Reset Is Delaying NHL Deals