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Montreal Canadiens commit long-term to Josh Anderson, 7 years at $5.5M

By Omar L

Nov 23, 2019; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson (77) skates away from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luca Sbisa (5) during the third period at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2019; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson (77) skates away from Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luca Sbisa (5) during the third period at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Montreal Canadiens made a splash trading Max Domi for Josh Anderson, and they’ve committed to him long-term for seven years at a $5.5 million cap hit.

Max Domi got his new deal with his new team in the Columbus Blue Jackets, signing for two years at $5.3 million per. The player the Montreal Canadiens got in return, Josh Anderson, made it clear he had aspirations to stay with the team long-term. Now it’s official, and it’s a big commitment for both sides.

Anderson will be on the books for the Habs for the next seven years. That may be surprising for many who felt Marc Bergevin might stick to his routes and instead hand him a short-term deal. It’s one thing for him to be a new face in the organization, but Anderson hasn’t played many games this season, missing time with an upper-body injury. Additionally, bridge deals are Anderson’s thing.

Pierre Lebrun added some insight into that who situation. Anderson wasn’t that far off from free agency, and the Montreal Canadiens needed something extra to entice him to sign. Term is everything for a professional player, especially during times like these where the salary cap isn’t going to be moving that much. That was the price, and the Habs were willing to pay it. Of course, that’s the first price.

The second price is the cap-hit. Over the course of the deal, Anderson will be making $5.5 million annually. There’s nothing special about the structure of the deal. His salary and cap hit are exactly the same, and there aren’t any clauses with it. At the same time, it’s a significant pay grade from his previous deal, which saw him making $1.85 million.

Over the course of those three years, Anderson went from 19 goals in 63 games to 27 games in 82 games. And then there’s this season where he didn’t play and put up only 4 points in 26 games. That aspect of it is a tough pill to swallow, and this contract is confidence in the Canadiens’ front office that Anderson can improve and be a consistent force within the top-six.

But it is a gamble, one that could bite Bergevin moving forward.

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