As the NHL offseason continues, each team’s direction, plans, and goals for the coming season have become clear. For the Montreal Canadiens, the 2024-25 season will take the next step of the rebuild. Under Hockey Hall of Famer and head coach Martin St. Louis, youth development is at the forefront of the team’s priorities. Under fellow Hockey Hall of Famer and head coach Patrick Roy, the New York Islanders will be attempting to build on last season’s growth in hopes of bringing home the fifth Stanley Cup in franchise history. Despite being in two strikingly different directions, Islanders’ general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello and Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes share many similarities.
Similar Philosophies, Differing Execution
The most apparent similarity between Hughes and Lamoriello is their philosophies in contract negotiations. Both GMs are confident in their players and take pride in the product they send on the ice each night. Because of this, they each want to maintain their core and reward loyalty by handing out long-term contracts filled with no trade clauses. Where the two GMs differ is in execution.
Hughes has done a fantastic job of locking up the Canadiens’ young core for the future. 2022 first-overall draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky is signed for the next nine seasons, captain Nick Suzuki is signed for six, Cole Caufield is signed for seven, and Kaiden Guhle is signed for seven. Outside of recently turned 25-year-old Suzuki, the other three are just 22 or younger, paving the way for the Canadiens to maintain control of their young core through their primes. These four contracts total under $30 million in annual cap hit, allowing the team to lock up its young core at an affordable price to eventually sign additional elite talents.
For Lamoriello, the philosophy is nearly the same. Currently, the Islanders have 13 players signed to contracts with trade restrictions, and eight players signed for four or more seasons. The only issue here is the roster’s average age is nearly 29 years old, among the highest in the NHL. Many of the players with long-term contracts are either 30 years old or defensemen, a position that typically doesn’t age well. Additionally, the current Islanders’ roster lacks young talent on par with Slafkovsky or Caufield and aside from Cole Eiserman, the prospect pool doesn’t offer much excitement.
Finding Value
Another similarity and difference between these two GMs is how they find…
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