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Montreal Canadiens Need To Take Advantage of Rivals In Salary Cap Trouble

By Ken MacMillan

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 05: Joel Armia #40 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on November 5, 2018 the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 05: Joel Armia #40 of the Montreal Canadiens skates against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on November 5, 2018 the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, QC – JANUARY 07: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The Montreal Canadiens have not spent to the salary cap for the past two seasons. It’s time they flex their financial muscles and take advantage of teams that need to shed payroll this summer.

The Montreal Canadiens have no problem generating income. They are among the richest teams in the National Hockey League. Their loyal fans continue to fill the Bell Centre, purchase merchandise and tune in to every game on television or radio.

However, the Canadiens have failed to spend anywhere near the salary cap for the past two seasons. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the team has been absent from any playoff games during that time.

There is nothing wrong with general manager Marc Bergevin being cautious. But the Canadiens are among the richest teams in the league, and nearly spent the least amount of money on players last season.

The Habs players showed they could compete for and almost grab a playoff spot on a budget last season. It’s time for Bergevin to reward his players who came oh so close to making the postseason. He needs to use the revenue generated this season to spend to the cap next year.

There are a few ways to upgrade the roster this summer. Obviously, going out on July 1st and spending on an unrestricted free agent is one way. That can be risky though. The majority of players signed on July 1st come with too big of a price tag and usually for far too long.

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