Today is a rather busy day in the offseason, with many announcements made not only about the Montreal Canadiens, but also the NHL’s salary cap, which will be increasing over the next few years, but more on that later.
Let’s start with some news related to the Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and a couple of former Canadiens.
1- Michael Pezzeta signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Canadiens
The left-winger signed a two-way deal worth $750,000 in the NHL and $82,500 in the AHL. Pezzeta played in 20 games with the Laval Rocket last season, scoring two goals and five points and serving 30 penalty minutes.
2- Tomas Tatar signed a two-year deal with the New Jersey Devils
After three years with the Canadiens, Tatar will now be playing with the Devils for the next two years with a $4.5 million AAV. In 50 regular-season games this past season, he tallied 10 goals and 30 points. However, he only played five playoff games, in which he got an assist.
3- Victor Mete signed a one-year extension with the Ottawa Senators
Former Hab Victor Mete was placed on waivers this past season and was claimed by the Ottawa Senators. The 23-year-old fit in well with Ottawa’s young group. He was given a better chance to show what he can do. The Senators being a very young team, they allow their players to make mistakes and learn from them, they’re also fully dependent on them, which gives the players more responsibility. That should allow Mete to develop more and become the good defenceman he has the potential to be.
4- Salary Cap Increase
It was announced earlier today that the NHL’s salary cap is projected to increase by $1 million per year from 2021-22 to 2025-26, and by an additional $5.9 million in 2026-27, bringing it to a total of $91.4 million.
There is still more news to come, such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s contract extension, confirmation of whether or not Jonathan Drouin will be playing as a Hab next season, and if GM Marc Bergevin is trying to sign an experienced centre. There is still some time for the Canadiens to adjust and prepare for the next season.