Things are picking up FAST… – MULTIPLE moves coming?
Things are picking up fast in Montreal as we have reports circulating about the next Habs trade plans, including one analyst who said that on September 1st, not only can we expect to see Carrie Price’s contract move, but how a perfect storm is brewing for Kent Hughes to pull off another move alongside. We have to dive into all the talk around the Habs trade front, but also a big report out of New Jersey and Luke Hughes has given us a huge indication as to when Lane Hudson could very well sign his extension. And to top it all off, our boy Philip Ericson, the guy who shot out of nowhere, has scored once again to be tied for the Champions Hockey League, leading goals through two games. A bunch of great stuff to get into on this episode of Habs Digest. And my goodness, Philip Erikson, this guy with Lulia, has been unreal in the Champions Hockey League so far, scoring again in their most recent game. Now, two goals in two games. You can only I can only take a screenshot of, you know, where he was. He was listed last of all the two goal scorers, but no one has more than two goals. He’s tied for first as of the recording of this video, which is pretty cool. Um, and also of all the players with at least two goals this season, Philip Ericson plays by far the fewest minutes, 14 and a half minutes per game. I think there was someone at like just above 15 somewhere above him, but like he’s playing a lot less than anyone else on this list. So, had to give him credit for that. 25% on the dot, though. I don’t know how many faceoffs he’s taken. One hit, one block. But look at this. My goodness. Like what a shot this is. And this is what we’ve been talking about with Philip Ericson. Top cheese. What a rip of a shot. And in the preeason when we saw him really start to light things up, it was these one-times. It was these snapshots that were just like, “Whoa, where was this?” I mean, this guy’s not that big. He’s like 5’11, well under 200 lb. But he’s coming out here ripping the puck in the preeason, getting first line time in preeason. Now playing second line again for Lilia. Coming out here, actually, I think he might have been first line again today. It depends though cuz he’s playing 14 minutes. So, it’s a bit of a weird up and down kind of thing. But, he’s coming out here and scoring goals like this. And I’m just saying like we got to keep you guys up to date on this guy. He’s just going to be well it’s looking like he’s going to be one of these guys that we look back at soon and be like, “Whoa, where did he come from all of a sudden? He’s one of our better prospects.” I I can absolutely see a world where he takes a big leap again. I think he’s far from, you know, NHL impact player at this point. And I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but when a prospect takes that kind of jump, starts getting some firstline minutes with a team like a team like Lullia in the Champions Hockey League now, he’s going out there. He’s scoring a goal in each of his first two games. He was above a point per game in the preseason with four goals, I think. Like the dude is just on fire. So, we have to respect what he’s doing and keep an eye on him because, you know, like again, you can’t just ignore those kind of stats. Love what I’m seeing from Philip Ericson. I know you guys are too. My goodness, what a surprise he has been so far and we can just hope that he keeps this up, but we get to dive into some other big stuff. Now, a lot of stuff around the Habs trade front, right? And we know September 1st is coming up and there’s a lot of talk about Carrie Price’s contract. But before we dive into that, got to open up about something that was happening in New Jersey. Now, this comes from an RG.org article that is linked down below where they interviewed the general manager of the New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald. But before I touch on what he said, I just want to go back to this tweet from Cam Robinson. And it’s been a sentiment that’s been kind of spread around the NHL for the past week or two. This was a week ago. For those waiting on a Lane Hudson extension, don’t expect anything really to get going until this camp sees what Luke Hughes signs for. Even that both sides have viable reasons for waiting until next off seasonason. And look, the lane train, we know he’s going to get his bag one way or the other. It’s just a matter of when and how much. But a lot of the reports recently have been indicating maybe it’ll be less than a lot of us originally thought. We were pegging him at 10.5 million. could very well come in under 10, maybe even under Dobson. But regardless, the big update from New Jersey is this. If we take a look at what Tom Fitzgerald had to say in this ror article, again, link below if you want the full context. Eventually, talking about the Luke Hughes extension because, oh, by the way, just got to say, Luke Hughes is not signed in case you didn’t know. I mean, he is a young defenseman, basically the same age as Lane Hudson. Had a great season. He’s not signed heading into this upcoming season. So, just had to give that context. We’ll go back. Eventually, this will get done. The 11th hour is training camp, right? A lot of times, a lot of the stuff doesn’t get done until the 11th hour. We’re hoping we can get something done here in quick fashion, and both sides are working hard at it. That’s for sure. And if you’re a Devils fan, this is great news. Obviously, you want Luke Hughes on the team, though, there have been reports recently that Luke Hughes wants a 5-year deal so that him and Jack can have their free agency hit at the exact same time. And we know Quinn Hughes, there’s some question marks about his future in Vancouver. I think it’s going to be a weird thing where the brothers all kind of want to play together. If Luke Hughes and Jack Hughes want to end their contracts at the same time, that’ll posose as an interesting challenge for New Jersey. But it’s not about what Luke Hughes signs for or have the terminate, it’s about kind of the money. And Luke Hughes contract projections have him coming in at lower than Lane Hudson. And I think that’s fair because Lane Hudson’s numbers were just straight up better. And look, Luke Hughes is maybe you could argue maybe a bit better defensively, though. I actually would argue Lane Hudson is just as good, if not better. Again, like just watching the games, I think people just tend to think their guy is better. And also, Luke Hughes is 6’2 and Lane Hudson is 5’9, 510. So, it’s like you just naturally make that assumption. I would actually say Hudson’s better. I mean, I don’t know, maybe some Devils fans won’t agree with that, but I don’t think they’re watching this video. If you are, hey, shout out to you guys. Love you guys. Dawson Mercer, one of my boys, Nofi, as you guys know. But regardless, um, the term I don’t think is going to be as I mean, it could be, but I think it’s more the AAV that we’re looking at because Luke Hughes serves as a very good comparable for Lane Hudson and Lane Hudson also has every reason to ask for more money than Luke Hughes. And if he wants a 5-year deal, well, they might have to pay him a little less, a little more. It’s going to be a bit of an interesting scenario here for New Jersey because again, there is a bit of a ripple effect with this. Now, Lane Hudson is not under pressure to sign or the Halves, I should say, are not under as much pressure to sign Lane Hudson before the season like the New Jersey Devils are because right now they can’t play Lughes because he doesn’t have a contract unlike Lane Hudson who of course still has this season to fully play and figure out his extension anytime between now and next summer. But this is going to be something to keep an eye on because eventually it’s got to happen. It’s probably going to happen within the next few weeks. and keeping an eye on New Jersey, seeing what he signs for. I think Luke Hughes could very well like maybe a fiveyear deal by eight million. Is that something that could happen feasibly? Yeah. And then Lane Hudson say, “Hey, I want my 9 9.5. I’m coming in comfortably above Luke Hughes.” Just maybe my thought. I I think it could be something similar to that, but again, the rising cap is throwing a wrench into a lot of these things because, you know, the five-year deal, not only does it allow Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes to hit free agency at the same time, Luke Hughes can get a bag because the cap’s going up. It’s why these guys are signing shorter term deals. they’re going to be able to sign for higher and higher and higher if the cap continues to rise. So, keeping an eye on that is very important. So, that’s one move that could very well be coming soon for Montreal or at least getting some more clarity on the AAV of Hudson’s contract. But the other big thing is Carrie Price because we know September 1st, that’s the big day, right? That his contract almost certainly will be moved. And I want to dive into this quote this tweet from JC Lois and he had this to say. He said, “On September 1st, Carrie Price’s expensive contract will be traded to another team. Kent Hughes is reportedly willing to give up first round picks in order to add a natural center to his roster. A complex but effective deal just the kind the GM likes is taking shape. Keep an eye on the Western Conference and all this is very exciting. I have to agree it absolutely is very exciting. And whether he is actually reporting that Price’s contract will be moved on September 1st, I don’t necessarily think so. I think it’s more just like, hey, September 1st is coming. We know Price’s contract is getting moved. Where where’s his contract? I have it here somewhere. There it is. I went through every single picture before finding it. But last year of his deal, 10.5 mil, look, we’ve been through this a million times. We know there’s going to be a team that can take on his contract. I’ve seen some rumblings about the Blackhawks because they have a surplus of veteran D to give up and maybe Price could go there and a swap. I don’t really agree with that because I don’t see Montreal taking on any kind of defenseman like unless you plan to just wave them right away and maybe that could be the case though even then Chicago could just wave them. I don’t know. Uh Chicago could be a fit for Carrie Price, but it is looking more like San Jose is kind of the team that would make a lot of sense just to take the money, get up above the cap floor, although I think they kind of already did or at least they’re close. They have the room and they could even ask for maybe, hey, to take on this pick, give me an extra pick. Montreal might say, “Okay.” But Montreal is under a I I don’t I wouldn’t say a bit of pressure to move this deal, but it would absolutely lead to a lot of flexibility. And as we’ve known, I’ll explain this very briefly for those of you who maybe don’t know, but like if you go into the season above the cap like Montreal is now, and then you put a guy like Price on LTR, you can’t acrue that cap space throughout the season because for normal teams, let’s say you have a million dollars in cap space when the season starts, that million can kind of get prrated a So, at the deadline, you can’t just take in a guy with a $1 million AAV. You can take in a guy who has $1 million left owed on that year’s deal, which at that point of the year is something like a $4 or $5 million deal because most of it has been paid because in the NHL, you pay it as the season goes. Whereas, if Montreal went into this season, let’s say they were, you know, you put prices contract in LTIR right now, you’d have 4.5 million under the cap. That doesn’t acrue. So 4.5 mil at the start of the season is equal to a 4.5 mil contract later in the season. You don’t get that benefit of having most of the contract paid off. So that’s why Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have been so adamant over the past few years of getting under the cap, especially last year without having to put prices contract excuse me on LTIR because that gives you a lot more cap flexibility. So to have this moved that is going to be a huge thing for Montreal because it opens up again about 4 and a.5 million under the cap that you can just use and you can acrewue or as this quote kind of says or suggests I should say it opens up the possibility for another interesting complex deal and we know can’t use Jeff Gorton. They have loved to cook as we got into August. The Patty Lina deal was in August that we had a deal a couple years ago in August. this is something that they love to do. And as we get towards the season, we’ve seen hints from Jeff Gordon, Kent Hughes about how um you know, a move could very well be coming soon, something else. And with this cap freed up with Montreal having a lot of guys making some decent money on the roster that could be moved, it’s not impossible to see another trade for like a center or something like that happening alongside this carry price thing. I don’t think it’s necessarily likely, but again, having this cap space as the season goes on, as teams are starting to realize what they’re good at, what they’re not good at, they’re better than expected, worse than expected a few months into the season, having that money available to help facilitate a trade is going to be very valuable. So, absolutely time to keep an eye. Moves are going to be coming. They’re going to be coming quick. The Hudson extension, no guarantee it’s happening soon, but the Luke Hughes contract will shed some light on it. carry price being moved will give us that money officially that will make a trade way more likely than it is right now. And hey, who knows? Something even bigger could be brewing. But let me know your thoughts on all this down below. Exciting times to be a Habs fan. The season’s right around the corner. Trades are going to be happening and I can’t wait. Thank you for tuning in every single day. Every day. Crazy. We’ve been going daily for so so long now and we have you guys to thank for showing up every single time. Appreciate you very much. I’m Josh Goss. I’ll catch you in the next one.
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https://rg.org/news/hockey/devils-gm-tom-fitzgerald-on-luke-hughes-contract-eventually-this-will-get-done
0:00 Montreal Canadiens News
0:39 Eriksson is NUTS
2:58 Lane Hutson contract update
6:51 Multiple moves coming?
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Enjoy August 30 edition of Montreal Canadiens News or Habs News today!
Josh Gosse chats about the recent Habs news involving the Montreal Canadiens having multiple moves coming with Carey Price, Lane Hutson, and a big update on Filip Eriksson.
Josh Gosse break down the latest Montreal Canadiens news involving Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Juraj Slafkovsky, Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, David Savard, Habs Defencemen, Kent Hughes, Martin St Louis, Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau, Kaiden Guhle, Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, Sean Farrell, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, Jakub Dobes.
Josh Gosse analysent les dernières nouvelles des Canadiens de Montreal concernant Arber Xhekaj, Kaiden Guhle, Juraj Slafkovsky, Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Kirby Dach, David Savard, Habs Defencemen, Kent Hughes, Martin St Louis, Sam Montembeault, Cayden Primeau, Kaiden Guhle, Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, Jayden Struble, Adam Engstrom, Sean Farrell, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine, Jakub Dobes.
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17 comments
Hey Josh
I’ve been away. Hope I haven’t missed too much. Can’t wait for September 1st to see what other trades are coming.
I like what you are doing Josh. Thanks!
its a joke or what , hutson is better period than hugues
hugues is very good , but hutson is just another level
Does this qualify as a comment?
So what happens if Price takes his money on September 1st and then officially retires, doesn’t the cap hit go away….??
Same old videos talking about rumors.. more bla bla bla with nothing to say..
2:13 yes you do, it's your job, lol
Every single team is at least 2 to 3 million over cap floor. No one has to take that contract.
Things I know.
1- Habs will move the Price contract after Sept 1
2- A new Ctr I dont expect to happen anytime soon unless a can't wait Ctr(ex- MacTavish, etc) is willing to be traded
3.- A right shot top 6 dman could come in the Price contract move. This takes pressure off Reinbacher NHL beginning time and ends a left shot dman having to start the yr playing the right side. Its never an ideal lineup & or done long term. Funny how fans think its no big deal?
Just need to stay patient and positive. I believe in the management to get Hutson signed long term.
Pittsburg is gonna trade for Carrie Price contract……..there's only $ 800 000 dollars remaining to be paid to Carrie Price after september 1
Allowing pittsburgh to drop below the salary floor buy 10.5 million dollars
That will give pittsburgh room to trade
Evgeni Malkin
Sidney Crosby
Bryan Rust
Erik Karlsson
without going under the floor
This is simple economics……I don't understand why nobody else sees this….
obviously moves are coming, they are way over the cap
Even if these young prospects do not make the Habs it does not mean they won't be valuable trading stock for other teams that do not have our prospect pool depth. Keep the faith and Go Habs Go!
Omg, i almost unsuscribed when you used 🤡 jc lavoie as reference lol. Please don't do that no more 🙏
San Jose should offer a 2nd or 3rd round pick and take Prices contract for Xhexaj.
All teams are over the cap floor. Why would any GM trade for Price's contract?