Mr Viral
In Montreal, fans and the media are quick to change their minds.
A few weeks ago, Patrik Laine was the big sniper, the star that the CH had been waiting for a long time, and now for two weeks, Laine “is not NHL caliber”.
Georges Laraques went a step further earlier by saying that the team should buy him out.
If things don’t get better for Laine, could the CH be tempted to buy out his contract this summer? @GeorgesLaraque believes so! What do you think? @stephgonzz #ch #Habs #laine #laraquegonzalez pic.twitter.com/41aE78IGIB
— BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) February 6, 2025
I’ll start by saying that I’ve never been a big fan of contract buyouts, so right from the start, I’ll tell you that I’m against the idea.
But Laraque’s argument holds: Montreal tried the Laine experiment, and it didn’t work. The team must now move on to another option. And it’s not like Kent Hughes sacrificed much to acquire the Finn. He gave up Jordan Harris and even received a second-round pick.
The forward (and his contract) was just a throw-in in the transaction.
Buying out Laine’s contract is worth considering after the season because instead of eliminating his salary cap hit in July 2026, Montreal would get rid of it a year later, in 2027.
Okay. Martin St-Louis’s team won’t be a contender for the Cup next year, but already there, the club will have more aspirations for the playoffs.
If Hughes were to follow this path, the Finn’s contract would have a cap hit of nearly four million dollars in 2026-2027 ($4,733,333 less than his usual hit) and $2,366,667 in 2027-2028. Remember, to buy out a contract, teams pay two-thirds of the player’s salary, but over double the years.
In Laine’s case, it’s not so bad. A buyout can hurt when guys have more than two seasons on their contracts. Like Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher, essentially.
In a nutshell
– Is a recall imminent?
“Right now, we have to reward Primeau!”
According to José Théodore, his performances with the @RocketLaval are significant.
Listen to his comments with @LangloisMario https://t.co/nVv9HjnH4G pic.twitter.com/w9OFar3rvw
— 98,5 Sports (@985Sports) February 7, 2025
– J.T. Miller in New York: his wife and Vincent Trocheck’s wife pushed for it to happen. [HF]
– Good to know.
Stars: LeBron and Davis reunited on “Team Shaq”https://t.co/O7ybq6SbnS
— RDS (@RDSca) February 7, 2025
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