The Habs had several junior-aged players under contract this past season, bringing the oft-mentioned ‘slide rule’ into play. In the end, five of the six players that had this potential outcome did see their deals slide and thus, their cap hit changed. Here is a breakdown of those changes.
What is the ‘Slide Rule’?
This is for junior-aged prospects who were under contract for the previous season but did not suit up in ten or more games with the NHL team. As a result, their contract slides (gets extended by) an extra year with a corresponding change in their cap hit.
Who was eligible for a slide?
The Habs had a total of six junior-aged prospects under contract and all but Juraj Slafkovsky will see their contract extended. The others were Owen Beck, Riley Kidney, Logan Mailloux, Filip Mesar, and Joshua Roy.
How does the cap hit change?
In most instances, simply put, the cap hit is reduced by the AAV of the signing bonus paid in that season divided by the number of years remaining on the contract (which in this case is always three). The players’ NHL salary in the final year of the new deal is lowered by the signing bonus paid out in the season where the contract slid. However, with the league minimum salary continuing to go up, the minimum in the newly-created contract year can be higher than what the salary would have been this season. In those cases, the basic calculation for the reduced cap hit (signing bonus divided by three) doesn’t apply and the savings would be the difference between the signing bonus and the base salary increase divided by three.
New Cap Hits
Owen Beck
| Season | NHL Salary | Performance Bonuses | Signing Bonus | Cap Hit before Bonuses | Cap Hit with Bonuses |
| 2022-23 | Entry-level slide | $95,000 | $916,667 | $950,000 | |
| 2023-24 | $775,000 | $80,000 | $95,000 | $885,000 | $918,333 |
| 2024-25 | $835,000 | $20,000 | $95,000 | $885,000 | $918,333 |
| 2025-26 | $855,000 | $0 | $0 | $885,000 | $918,333 |
Beck was the only other player out of the group to get into an NHL game but since it was less than ten, he was still eligible for his deal to slide. His base salary for 2022-23 would have been above the new minimum so the usual calculation applies. $95,000/3 = $31,667 in savings.
Riley Kidney
| Season | NHL Salary | Performance Bonuses | Signing Bonus | Cap Hit before Bonuses | Cap Hit with Bonuses |
| 2022-23 | Entry-level slide | $92,500 | $859,167 | $925,000 | |
| 2023-24 | $775,000 | $82,500 | $92,500 | $836,667 | $902,500 |
| 2024-25 | $775,000 | $57,500 | $92,500 | $836,667 | $902,500 |
| 2025-26 | $775,000 | $57,500 | $0 | $836,667 | $902,500 |
While Kidney was drafted back in 2021, he didn’t sign with Montreal right away and since they waited a year to sign him, he was only eligible for one slide. His base salary this season was initially $750,000. The minimum is now $775,000 so the savings are less than the basic signing bonus divided by three calculation. [$92,500-$25,000]/3 = $22,500 in cap savings.
Logan Mailloux
| Season | NHL Salary | Performance Bonuses | Signing Bonus | Cap Hit before Bonuses | Cap Hit with Bonuses |
| 2022-23 | Entry-level slide | $92,500 | $897,500 | $925,000 | |
| 2023-24 | $775,000 | $82,500 | $92,500 | $875,000 | $902,500 |
| 2024-25 | $832,500 | $0 | $92,500 | $875,000 | $902,500 |
| 2025-26 | $832,500 | $0 | $0 | $875,000 | $902,500 |
Just like Kidney, Mailloux was drafted back in 2021 but didn’t sign with Montreal in the first year, making him eligible for only one slide. His original base salary for this season was also $750,000, one that has to be boosted to $775,000 now to remain CBA-compliant so the different calculation again applies. [$92,500-$25,000]/3 = $22,500 in cap savings.
Filip Mesar
| Season | NHL Salary | Performance Bonuses | Signing Bonus | Cap Hit before Bonuses | Cap Hit with Bonuses |
| 2022-23 | Entry-level slide | $95,000 | $950,000 | $950,000 | |
| 2023-24 | $855,000 | $0 | $95,000 | $918,333 | $918,333 |
| 2024-25 | $855,000 | $0 | $95,000 | $918,333 | $918,333 |
| 2025-26 | $855,000 | $0 | $0 | $918,333 | $918,333 |
Mesar’s base salary for this season was higher than the new minimum so the simple calculation applies. $95,000/3 = $31,667 in savings.
Joshua Roy
| Season | NHL Salary | Performance Bonuses | Signing Bonus | Cap Hit before Bonuses | Cap Hit with Bonuses |
| 2022-23 | Entry-level slide | $92,500 | $856,667 | $903,333 | |
| 2023-24 | $775,000 | $82,500 | $92,500 | $835,000 | $881,667 |
| 2024-25 | $775,000 | $57,500 | $85,000 | $835,000 | $881,667 |
| 2025-26 | $775,000 | $0 | $0 | $835,000 | $881,667 |
Roy’s signing bonus isn’t uniform so this is where the AAV will be different than the annual signing bonus amount. The total signing bonus is $270,000, divided by three is $90,000 so that’s the base amount to use in the calculation. His old salary was below the minimum as well so that has to be taken into consideration again. [$90,000-$25,000]/3 = $21,667 in cap savings.
Who is eligible next season?
At the moment, only two are eligible, Beck and Mesar. Even if Slafkovsky spends all of 2023-24 in the minors, he would still burn a year of his deal even though he’s still junior-aged; once you burn the first year, you aren’t eligible for any more contract slides.