Buyout coming for the Montreal Canadiens? The name of a player has surfaced and it's Joel Armia
In terms of trades, the former GM of the Canadiens, Marc Bergevin, generally did an excellent job by gaining the upper hand in almost all his trades, except for the one involving Jonathan Drouin.
Where it becomes more complicated in his legacy is related to contract signings. For the most part, almost all the contracts he granted during his tenure have been long-term failures.
Even today, the Canadiens organization is still paying the price with several signings that are not bringing any return on the investment initially made by Bergevin.
We can think here of Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, and Joel Armia. The three of them together take up $15.4 million of the salary cap, which is huge considering they do not even play regularly in the team's top-6. Apart from Anderson, who has had several more or less fruitful stints on the first two lines, he still does not bring the level of production of a true top-line forward.
However, from the perspective of a contract buyout, it makes no sense to liquidate Gallagher's contract, as the penalties would be enormous due to his hefty $6.5 million and the term remaining on his current deal.
As for Anderson, he could still have interesting trade value for a team aspiring to win the Stanley Cup, wishing to add depth and toughness to their roster. Buying out his contract rather than trading him would be a mistake.
The most likely candidate for a buyout is the enigmatic Joel Armia. His paltry salary of $3.4 million for a fourth-line forward, for two more seasons, makes him a target who could face this fate soon.
Due to his inconsistency and lack of offensive production, along with the arrival of several young players pushing for a regular spot in the team's lineup, Armia's presence on the Canadiens has become a hot potato.
The 30-year-old Finn has not surpassed the 14-point mark since the 2019-2020 season, which is a very disappointing performance for a player earning such a salary.
Moreover, he is unfortunately untradeable, unless one is willing to pay to get rid of him, but I doubt that is Kent Hughes' plan at the moment. With the emergence of several youngsters who could fill his spot for much less money, it seems quite clear that the Canadiens' GM will have to make a decision about him next summer.
Credits: HabsetLNH.com
| POLL | ||
If Joel Armia is still with the Canadiens in the summer of 2024, would you buy out his contract? | ||
| Yes | 160 | 70.5 % |
| No | 67 | 29.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
