In the ever-evolving landscape of the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens have quietly positioned themselves for a potential game-changing offseason.

While much of the hockey world’s attention has been focused elsewhere, a subtle but significant shift occurred on July 1st, granting General Manager Kent Hughes a powerful new tool as the trade market heats up.

With all three salary retention slots now available, Hughes has regained a vital lever that could dramatically reshape the Canadiens’ roster in the months ahead.

This newfound flexibility comes at a pivotal moment for Montreal, as the team weighs its options ahead of what promises to be a dynamic and unpredictable trade deadline.

With several sizeable contracts on the books and a handful of key veterans potentially on the move, the ability to retain salary could open doors to blockbuster deals that were previously out of reach.

As speculation swirls around the futures of players like Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, and others, all eyes are on Hughes to see how he’ll use this strategic advantage to steer the franchise’s next chapter.

Photo credit: NHL

It went under the radar, but on July 1st, Kent Hughes got a significant boost to help facilitate trades. Since that date, his three salary retention slots have become available again.

As Marc-Olivier Cook from DLC reminds us, last season the club was using two of its three slots by retaining part of the salaries of Jake Allen (now with the New Jersey Devils) and Jeff Petry.

The Canadiens’ GM now has access to all three salary retention slots again, allowing him to trade a big contract more easily.

He is no longer retaining any salary on behalf of the New Jersey Devils.

A Trade Deadline That Promises to Be Interesting for the Montreal Canadiens

Last year, Kent Hughes chose to listen to his captain Nick Suzuki and kept the entire team intact to finish the season.

That gamble paid off, as the team qualified for the playoffs.

The GM held onto veterans who were set to become unrestricted free agents, such as Joel Armia, David Savard, and Christian Dvorak.

As a result, the final salary retention slot went unused. But the upcoming trade deadline will definitely be different.

Hughes will likely need to retain salary if he wants to move a big contract in its final year, such as those of Mike Matheson or Patrik Laine.

The same strategy could be used to help move Brendan Gallagher or Josh Anderson.

Any of those names could realistically be traded by the next deadline in exchange for immediate help down the stretch.

And What About Carey Price?

One name that shouldn’t be forgotten when discussing salary retention is, of course, Carey Price.

As we recently reported in a column, a trade involving the goaltender could happen as early as this September.

Why September?

Because that’s when his hefty $5.5M signing bonus will be paid out.

Under those circumstances, it would be surprising for any team owner to approve acquiring Price before the Canadiens pay him what he’s owed.

Now imagine if Kent Hughes also retained part of that contract.

Price’s deal would become even easier to move to a team looking to get closer to the salary cap floor.

Having Price on the books at $2-3M, or even $5.25M (50%), for one final season would be far more manageable than the $10.5M he currently counts against the cap.