Choosing the highest-paid player on the Montreal Canadiens depends on how you look at their current roster. In theory, they are still paying Carey Price, who has been on long-term injured reserve since 2022. Price’s salary cap hit was $10.5 million per year, which expires after the 2025-26 season. However, most people ignore this contract and recognize Nick Suzuki as the team’s highest-paid player. Suzuki signed an eight-year, $63 million contract at the start of the 2021-22 season. He had just helped the Canadiens reach the Stanley Cup Finals like a Cinderella against the Tampa Bay Lightning and was set to be the team’s leader when Price and Shea Weber’s careers were over. He is currently in the third year of his contract and continues to grow each season after the end of his contract took a big leap in the season after signing, setting a new career high with 61 points in 82 games. Suzuki’s career high was 41 points the previous season. He recorded 66 points the following season and is on track to reach 77 points in the 2023-24 season. The 77 point threshold is within Suzuki’s tolerance. He is a complementary offensive player alongside Cole Caufield and July Slafkovskiy, but his contributions as a two-way forward make him the team’s most valuable forward.
The Canadiens front office recognizes Suzuki as the team’s most valuable player. They carefully considered his salary cap hit of $7.875 million, $25,000 higher than Caufield’s latest contract. They wanted Suzuki’s salary cap to be the benchmark for forwards, and Slafkovskiy’s latest contract confirmed that.
The Canadiens signed Slafkovskiy to an eight-year contract on July 1 with an annual salary of $7.6 million. The Canadiens are in a favorable position regarding the salary cap, as there is no forward who can compete with Suzuki for the title of highest-paid player anytime soon. There is a player who could potentially break the ceiling the Canadiens built with their Suzuki deal. Ivan Demidov will likely sign an entry-level contract next season, giving the Canadiens a three-year deal.
However, if Demidov develops into the player most expect him to be, he could be making more than $7.875 million per year. Keep in mind that the salary cap will continue to rise over the next few years, and players will get a bigger piece of the pie. If the Canadiens were willing to give Demidov an extension for less than $7.875 million, it could be worth $4-5 million as of this writing.
