One of the criticisms leveled at Kent Hughes this off-season is his failure to add a top-6 forward to his roster for next season.
Given the rumors we’ve heard, many fans expected (and continue to expect) a development in this area.
However, the Montreal Canadiens have yet to sign a forward other than Alex Barré-Boulet in the free agent market.
Furthermore, Kent Johnson, one of the players being considered for the Tricolore, inked a new contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday.
He signed a three-year contract with an annual salary of $1.8 million.
#CBJ F Kent Johnson, a restricted free agent, has signed a 3-year contract worth $5.4 million (salary cap hit $1.8M).
At the end of this contract following the 2026-27 season, Johnson will be an RFA, two years from UFA status.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) July 27, 2024
Kent Johnson, picked fifth overall in 2021, has high potential and is comparable to Juraj Slafkovsky, making this a favorable contract for the Blue Jackets.
Why am I discussing Slavkovsky here?
Because he, like Johnson, is a young player who just signed his first real contract, which will begin after his NHL entry-level contract.
Furthermore, both Slafkovsky and Johnson had similar NHL seasons.
Johnson and Slafkovsky had their greatest NHL seasons, scoring 40 points (16 goals) and 50 points (20 goals), respectively.
Both have had a more challenging season, with Johnson scoring 16 points in 42 games and Slaf scoring 10 in 39 games in his first NHL season.
In short, they are two seemingly comparable young men, so why were their contracts signed so far apart?
The Blue Jackets elected not to take the (risky?) long-term wager on a youngster who has yet to demonstrate his full ability, despite some promising glimpses.
Instead, they chose the well-known three-year bridge contract, which offered outstanding monetary value.
The Habs’ Kent Hughes has elected to honor the salary hierarchy, which Columbus has failed to do, by keeping Slafkovsky under contract for the next nine seasons.
In short, two distinct teams handled a comparable problem differently.
Columbus wins in the short term, but if Johnson blows up over the following three seasons, they may regret not committing him to a long-term contract.
On the Habs side, we are optimistic that Slafkovsky will advance in his growth and so earn the money he will receive after next season.
Si Arber Xhekaj en vient à signer le même genre de contrat, vous seriez heureux ou pas? https://t.co/UAqcTR8pkh
— Maxime Truman (@MaximeTruman) July 28, 2024
