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Montreal Canadiens 3 Worst Contracts in 2024-25

Some players have worn out their welcomes in the bleu, blanc, et rouge.

By Nate Duffett |
Montreal Canadiens v Vegas Golden Knights - Game One
Montreal Canadiens v Vegas Golden Knights - Game One / Ethan Miller/GettyImages
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The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of valuable contracts they can lean on in 2024-25 and beyond to elevate them to the next level. Unfortunately, however, they have terrible contracts that bring their cap value back to earth. The following players could rediscover their games and become good contracts, but they haven't been getting enough out of them to justify the deals.

Brendan Gallagher

Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

It's hard to include Gallagher on any of these lists as his commitment to the Canadiens has made him a fan favorite. He joined the Canadiens in 2012-13 and made an immediate impact, but injuries have caught up to him in recent years.

The last time Gallagher played a full season was in 2018-19, tallying 33 goals and 19 assists. The next four seasons included 59, 35, 56, and 37 games. (Keep in mind there were some pandemic years where the seasons were shorter.) He finally maintained his health last season, appearing in 77 games. However, he had just 16 goals and 15 assists.

Gallagher will make $6.5 million annually for the next three seasons. If his production continues to decline, the contract could get ugly by the end of the deal.

Josh Anderson

Montreal Canadiens v New York Rangers
Montreal Canadiens v New York Rangers / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

Anderson is another player whose contract runs for another three seasons. He has a slightly more manageable cap hit of $5.5 million but isn't close to Gallagher's production level.

On the bright side, Anderson has been able to stay healthy, but Canadiens fans likely don't care if he plays a high percentage of the games. The power forward had just 20 points in 78 games last season and has never quite found his form in Montreal.

Christian Dvorak

Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Dvorak was a project that the Canadiens tried to acquire from the Arizona Coyotes. He had problems staying healthy sometimes and didn't fit in the desert. The consensus was that Dvorak could come to Montreal and excel in an elevated role for a team desperate for help down the middle.

He had a good start to his Canadiens career, with 33 points in 56 games. He regressed to 28 points in 64 games the following season, then recorded just nine points in 30 games last season.

The good news is that the Canadiens can get away from their gamble after this year, as he has just one year left at $4.45 million. The bad news is that we must watch another year of Martin St. Louis struggling to find a role for him.

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