Check This Out! Habs Cap Strategy REVEALED!

The Montreal Canadiens have cap space — but how do they make room for their top prospects?

In this episode, Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico take you to “NHL Cap Class” and break down how the Canadiens can fit Jacob Fowler, David Reinbacher, and Michael Hage under the salary cap this season.

Is Jacob Fowler in Montreal to stay after his call-up? Could David Reinbacher be the next Laval Rocket standout to get the call from Kent Hughes? And what about Michael Hage — could the Canadiens sign their NCAA prospect to his entry-level contract sooner than expected?

We explain how the NHL salary cap, entry-level contracts, cap hits, call-ups impact Montreal’s roster decisions as the organization prepares for the next wave of young talent.

If you’re wondering how the Habs manage their cap space while integrating their future core, this is the breakdown you need.

Subscribe for daily Montreal Canadiens news, trade rumors, prospect updates, and cap analysis.

#Canadiens #GoHabsGo #NHL

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The Star D'Amico Show is brought to you by CheapestT-Shirts.ca. If you're looking for quality gear without overpaying, shop cheapesthirts.ca. Food selection for men, women, and kids. Tees, hoodies, headwear, bags, and more. Proud Montreal business. Order today, ship today, delivery tomorrow. That's cheapesthirts.ca. Local, fast, and affordable. Brought to you by Instacustoms.com. Do you need custom gear from a local Montreal business? Instacustoms.com has you covered. Custom shirts, hoodies, hats, and more. Made your way. Fast turnaround, great quality, and proudly Montreal-based. Check out Instacustoms.com. Brought to you by Cablatel. For trusted alarm systems in Quebec and eastern Ontario, choose Cablatel. Over 20 years of expert installation and top-tier protection for homes and businesses. Check out Cablitel.com, email them. Info at Cablitel.com. It's Cablitel. Peace of mind, you can count on. Brought to you by Morella Steakhouse. Looking for an unforgettable night out, Morella Steakhouse on Highway 132. It's just 15 minutes from Montreal, serving up premium cuts and bold flavors, and no tax on your bill. Book your table tonight at MorellastaSteakhouse.ca. Taste excellence tonight. Brought to you by Little Bear. Give your pet the best with Little Bear Pet Supply. It's a proudly family-owned business here in Montreal for over 30 years. Chuck Eve and their all-star staff have you taken care of with all the top brands at the best prices, and they really care for your pets. Shop online at LittleBearOnline.com or visit them on St. Catherine across from Westmount Square. It's Little Bear Pet Supply. Brought to you by McLean's Pub. Head over to McLean's Pub, 1210 Peel Street in the heart of downtown Montreal. Great food, cold drinks, and big games on all the screens. McClain's Pub, good times and great company. Listen, I'm giving you a warning right now. I hate to do this for you, but uh we're taking you to school today. Well, actually, I'm going to be going to school today. Professor D'Amico is uh teaching the class today. Get your pencil, get your paper, get your calculator, get your mind right, because we're talking Montreal Canadians cap strategy. Marco, this in the aftermath of Jacob Fowler shining like a diamond in the final moments in Ottawa, preserving a 3-2, come from behind victory for the Montreal Canadians. A massive win on Wednesday night. And the question is before we get our pencil sharpened and our blank sheet of paper filled with equations and numbers, Jacob Fowler. I mean, the plan is Mr. D'Amico, Professor D'Amico, is he sticking around?

SPEAKER_03 2:40

Are we are we doing if we're doing Professor D'Amico? We have to I have to switch.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Oh, here we go. He's uh going to he's getting another hat. Oh, listen, he's getting the wide brim hat.

SPEAKER_03 2:50

Oh, I love that's a we're gonna do the old, we're gonna do this.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

I love it with the feather, baby. We're gonna do that. Yeah, that suits you. Was that your Halloween pimp costume? What would where's that from?

SPEAKER_03 3:00

This is actually this is my grandfather's old hat. Oh, stop I absolutely love it. So, this is how this is how we're gonna do this episode, ladies and gentlemen. Please play with us. School is school is in session.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

So school is in session.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

Um, for those that want to for those that asked, uh, we had a lot of questions on this in the show uh earlier in the week. The Canadians called up Jacob Fowler. Why didn't they call up David Rheinbacher? I had a lot of complaints in in my DMs saying David Reinbacker would look better than Jaden Struble or the uh Alex Carey on the Canadians' defense. Why isn't this happening? So fair, but uh the reason why this isn't happening is because when the Canadians called up Jacob Fowler, they only had$148,000 in projected cap space. Okay, which means that you know if you were to prorate the season, that's only about$789,000 left. David Rheinbacher's cap hit is eight hundred and sixty-six thousand dollars. So uh they're missing about eighty thousand, give or take a couple thousand to be able to fit David Rheinbacher into the salary cap. So, what does that mean? Well, the beauty about the salary cap is if you have space, that space increases the the more you go into the season because there's less days in the season, so you could fit more money in that time without the the need of a 23-man roster limit. The Canadians could call up David Ryanbacher as early as March 16th if they would to keep Jacob Fowler on the roster.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

So that's the day before they play the Bruins on the Tuesday on the 17th.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

Um exactly. So if they're if you were to call up David Reinbacker, it would probably be if and if if you were to like the soonest they would call him up would be for the March 17th game, unless Jacob Fowler goes down and David Ryanbacher goes up, which given the way that Jacob Fowler played against Ottawa, uh, and given what I'm hearing in the organization, there's a chance there, there's a chance for anything, but they're going to ride that duo of Dobesh and Fowler probably until they clinch a playoff spot. And I would even venture that given the nature of you know the Atlantic division right now, I I would see maybe if they end up just going with the three goalies the whole way, because even Kapo Kaken in in Laval yesterday admitted that he was ready to take the number one reins and let Jacob have fun up top.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

And so just off the bat, then, right, with Jacob Fowler's performance, uh a standout performance on the road in Ottawa, and now the possibilities you just finished outlining, Reinbacker may be a call-up uh the day before the Havs host the Bruins, and two lucky winners uh from the Star and Domico show will be going there thanks to our friends at Morellas and one of the proud sponsors of the show. Can we put that in connection with how well he played, plus the limited amount of call-ups that it doesn't make sense to yo-yo Fowler?

SPEAKER_03 6:02

Well, wow, that was high pitched. I apologize.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Well, yeah, Professor Domingo, please. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

So this year, unlike uh the years prior, you have five call-ups that you can use. They used one on Fowler. But the thing with me is who else are they gonna use a call-up on? David Reinbacher, yeah, maybe Adam Engstrom when he comes back to health, right? But they already have seven healthy defensemen at forward. Cole Caulfield missed a game. Alex Texier drew in, and they still had two other healthy forwards that they could have called upon and Vallejo and Patrick Line, yeah, that you know are on the side. So I don't see a forward getting called up. And for those that uh ask, signing a player out of the NCAA because we're gonna get to Michael Hage, does not count as a call-up because you're not he wasn't in the American Hockey League, he's in the NCAA. So he'll either go straight to the American Hockey League or straight to the NCAA, we'll have a conversation about that as well. But I don't think the roster, uh, I don't think the the limit on comings and goings of call-ups is necessarily a problem for the Canadians. And should they feel like Jacob Fowler needs to go down and then come back up, you know, because for example, uh the Canadians are have a back to back tomorrow and Sunday, and then it's back to normalcy, and then two weeks later, you're gonna have two back-to-back settings within a 10-day period. Well, maybe that's when you call back up Jacob Fowler and you, you know, like the the there are possibilities there. And by sending Jacob Fowler down between you know, in that less heavy period, well, then you could accrue more cap space should you need to call up more players, because that's the other thing to keep it in consideration is that the with the five-man uh call-up limit, until you get into April and you've accrued that cap space more so, you can't call up many more else right now. You could call up maybe two players at the same time as of uh midway next week, but you can't you can't call three, four, or five players. No, you can't do that. So the Canadians cap limits them more than the Canadians uh you know, like limit on recalls at this time.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

As you alluded to, we're gonna get into Michael Hage um and the timeline there, uh, if one exists, because I saw our colleague Anthony Martineau, kind of his reporting got taken out of context um last week about you know, maybe he stays in the NCAA. And I want to talk about the timeline in a second and the and the financial uh ramifications of Michael Hage joining the Montreal Canadians coming up in a second. Uh, by the way, I always encourage people to like and subscribe uh for uh daily Habs content uh with yours truly and my partner in crime there, Marco DeMico. But just as a quick aside before we continue uh with Professor DeMico in math class and salary cap class today, um, when you talk about David Reinbacker, I'm kind of wishy-washy. I like the sample size. I I part of me, Marco, wants to see it grow with the young man playing with confidence and just playing with so many minutes. Walk me through what you think about that as an option. Uh, does that impact how Alex Carrier slots into the daily lineup for this team? Or is it better to kind of wait? I know I'm pummeling you with questions here. Is it better to wait for Adam Engstrom, who we've already seen play, wait for him to come back from injury, and there's a guy that maybe can help up on the right side if the Canadians want to recall him and not Ryanbacher, hypothetically?

SPEAKER_03 9:32

I mean, yeah, it's possible. I think the only the the reason why there would be a like a uh even a need to call up David Ryanbacher is is simply to see where he's at in his development. Like, I don't think they're gonna call him up to finish the season and play in the playoffs. Like that's that's not what's gonna happen here, from what I'm being told. If they call him up, it's for a cup of coffee. How you doing? What's your game look like? What information can the Canadians get from the way that he's playing? Does he look like uh you know he has a solid chance of cracking the roster after a strong summer? Does he maybe need more time in the American Hockey League? Are they gonna, you know, push kick the can down the line and maybe reevaluate after the AHL playoffs? Like it's just about getting information. Whereas I feel like Adam Engstrom is an NHL defenseman that could play right now. So it's a different, it's a different feel. And I could see the argument for having either or being called up. I don't think either or are gonna be called up permanently unless we really see like a downward swing from Alex Carey or Caden Gooley or you know, whoever of Jaden Strubel or Arbor Jackey is in the lineup. But I think it just offers flexibility. So what needs to be understood is that the longer the Canadians go without making another call-up after Jacob Fowler, the more flexibility they're going to have to be able to call up a guy or two or three maybe down the line, and have enough space to sign uh a guy like Michael Hage.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Uh, there's Marco D'Amico. I'm Sean Star. Thanks so much for being with us. Um, and again, just to recap, the the belief around Jacob Fowler is that they're not gonna yo-yo him between Laval and the NHL club. Is that is that the correct read on on what's what's likely gonna happen, especially when we talk about his performance in Ottawa on Wednesday night?

SPEAKER_03 11:28

I don't know about yo-yo. Yeah, you know, there is a world where Jacob Fowler does get set down. Because in the end, you know, if you're in the playoffs, there are very rarely do you have back to backs in the playoffs. Like that's I think one series out of eight ends up with a back-to-back scenario. So I I'm not I don't see that being an issue. So you could ride Dobesh, who has a really good record, mind you. So you you could see what you have in him. I think the next you know handful of games is going to be very telling as to who the the the organization's true number one is, and then they're gonna kind of ride that goalie into the playoffs. So could we see him sent down? Yes, that is something that he told me point blank that he would be prepared for if if if it were to happen. And I feel like, like we talked about it the earlier in the episode, he may very well come be called right back up. And you know, a lot of people will be like, well, why don't the Canadians just wave Samuel Montabeau, for example? Well, the thing is that you can't actually wave a player that stayed on your roster past the trade deadline. So Patrick Line, you can't wave him and send him to Laval. It doesn't happen. Samuel Montebo, you can't wave him and send him to Laval. You could try to wave them for the purposes of having another team pick them up, but if that team picks up the player, that player is disqualified from playing for the rest of the season. That's right. So there's no point. And then I'm also, you know, the the other argument I get is well, you could still complete trades after the trade deadline, it's just the player isn't eligible for the playoffs. This is true, but there is no non-playoff team that is going to acquire a Patrick Line or a Samuel Montebeau without incentive at this stage. So the Canadians, is it harder? Yes. Is it impossible? No. This is where Sean's good friend John Sedwick makes his money, and it's gonna be being able to follow the cap dollars, just like we've broken down, because the Canadians are gonna have enough cap to keep Jacob Fowler and have a three-goalie rotation, and by next week have enough cap to call up another player if need be. And that cap space will just continue to become bigger and bigger and bigger as we get into the later stages of March. And again, that brings now that brings us now to Michael Hage.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

Michael Hage is going to be a very serious thing that could be of topic uh possibly in two weeks from now, when we have the Big Ten regional, like the NCAA, um, I guess regionals. So the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

So in a world, does does a world exist where the Canadians can afford to have Fowler, Reinbacker, both with the team, and then Michael Hage's collegiate season ends, and now he joins the team. Like, does it does do those monies work with those three players under the current cap space that the Canadians have left today?

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Not yet, which is the best answer I can give. But what it means is if the Canadians, for example, were to call up David Reinbacker, not this weekend coming up, but the next, they would have enough cap space to keep David Reinbacker on the roster for the entirety of the season. Because mind you, they could all send him back down, and they probably would. Right. But you would you would have enough room to call him up for a cup of coffee, send him back down. In the time that he is down, between the time that he's down and Michael Hage signs, you're accruing cap space, and you'd have enough room for Michael Hage. If Michael, like this basically, this is how it works for Michael Hage. He has two options. Option number one, he signs his entry-level contract the moment his collegiate season ends. How early can that be? March 28th or 29th, or April 10th or 11th.

unknown 15:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 15:29

Or sorry, 9th or 11th. Those are the two windows in which his season can end. If it's the latter and Michigan gets to the frozen four, which is the the semifinal and final of the uh NCAA championship, he would likely only be able to suit up for the last game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers. So that means he'd probably be, you know, on the Canadians roster for three or four days, which at a maximum rookie salary of$975,000, yeah, means that he's gonna count for about$20,000.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Okay, so then so then that answers my other quote. My I had two stupid questions, right? I'm filled with them. Well, that's not really stupid. So the um, so if in the hage gets called up, signs his signs his um his his first pro contract, and he plays a game or he plays two games, he immediately counts against the cap. And then what happens?

SPEAKER_03 16:24

Did the even if he doesn't play a game, even if he does not play a game, okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Even if he doesn't, but what happens is that essentially are they burning the first year of the contract as soon as they sign if he plays one or two games that he's burned one year because he turns 20 before September 16th of this calendar year, his signing age for the collective bargaining agreement is 20, even though he's 19.

SPEAKER_03 16:52

Pretty sure he's still 19. Um, and what that means is he burns the first year of his contract. Yeah, he turns he'll he might actually, in fact, he might actually be able to sign his entry-level contract on his birthday. Yeah, which I mean, the signing both the signing age and the age age would actually be the same. Um, what that does, yes, you lose the first year of his contract. But as we saw with Elaine Hudson, and as we'll see with Ivan Demidov, when you burn the first year of your contract, if you play less than 10 games, NHL, regular season, and playoffs combined, because this is an important thing to remember, then that player is not eligible for offer sheets at the end of their entry-level contract. It's the reason why Lane Hudson signed for so little because they knew that there was no there was no alternative waiting for them at the end of the season. The only team they could they could negotiate with between July 1st, 2025, and you know, the summer of 2026 was the Montreal Canadians. Well, the same applies in this case with Michael Hage. Yes, you'd lose a cost-controlled year, but you'd also get to sign him faster. And as we've seen with Kent Hughes, that's not necessarily a problem when it comes to contract negotiations.

SPEAKER_00 18:08

Would you I mean, what what what would you put the percentage at that Michael Hage when the Michigan season is over, that that he makes the leap and turns pro?

SPEAKER_03 18:17

Well, listen, uh, I've you know, I've spoken to those around him that said that they're open to all situations. If they feel like he's not going to get any kind of playing time whatsoever, and management strongly advocates to him going to the American Hockey League, that may actually be a thing. But on the flip side, you know, if he plays that one game to end the season and then is just around the NHL team during the playoffs, and if there's an injury, he draws in. Well, that's a lot of experience, and it helps him learn about the team. It practices with the players. Martin St. Louis gets to know him a little bit better. He gets to know the trainers, he gets to know the the area, and then he comes back in September and he's able to hit the ground running if he is in fact NHL ready. So there are pros and cons on each side. My two cents, I'd love to see what he can do in an Laval Rocket playoff run. But but it's extremely rare to see top-end first round picks in the NCAA go the AHL route. Usually you see that for like goalies, as we saw with Jacob Fowler last year. That's right. Or you see that with um, you know, like the Jaden Strubles of this world, guys that are picked second, third, fourth round that maybe don't have the star power of a Michael Hage. Michael Hage is one of the highest scoring players in college hockey right now, a first-round pick. Like they can they could have some demands, right? And it's the same thing if it with Cole Caulfield, for example. If those that remember Cole Caulfield back in the day, in 2021, Cole Caulfield signed his entry-level contract right away because obviously won the Hobie Baker and played with the Canadians back then. Uh the schedule was elongated until like I believe mid-May, if I'm not mistaken. So he had all he had some time to get used to it and then was played in the playoffs, right? It's kind of the same mold. Players like that burn their first year of the entry level deal almost immediately. Like it's it's almost an automatic. I think the last high profile first round pick from the NCAA that didn't immediately burn their their the first year of their contract out of college was Dylan Larkin, and if not, Zach Worensky. And those are those guys were drafted over 10 years ago. Right. So just to give you an idea.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

It's all starting to make sense. I think it's um all well explained. Um, and I guess the other thing is, I mean, Michael Hage's game, like you just referenced, you know you know, one of the more dynamic offensive players in the NCAA, you know, physically and his game, your honest opinion. Is it is it pro ready? Is he ready for the ready? Pro ready, yes.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

Okay, pro ready, yes. NHL ready. I think he has the I think he has the processor to play in the NHL. Does he have the RAM?

SPEAKER_00 21:13

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03 21:14

Okay, and so I think that's where you know the next couple of games are going to be indicative in the NCAA championship rounds and whatnot. It'll be I I think when all is said and done, I think the can if the Canadians liked Michael Hage so much to make him a borderline untouchable piece in trade talks at the deadline. I don't know. I I don't know how he doesn't how how his clan doesn't end up with a for with an entry level contract out of the NCAA. But again, I stress, and this surprised me, they are willing to consider all options when it comes to Michael Hage. So they're not limiting themselves to entry level contract or bust.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Okay, good stuff. Professor D'Mico class is Professor Demiko's. Thanks, brother. Uh, good stuff as always. I hope uh everybody understood that. I think that was calmly and slowly explained. And now we've got Marco back. Professor D'Amico is retired. Uh back.

SPEAKER_03 22:12

There was almost a Professor D'Amico. I stopped at my master's. Considered the PhD, but just too much worker.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

What a grind. Yeah, what a grind. And at least at least I don't have to call you doctor. I mean, I don't know if I could have survived uh Dr. D'Amico in in office.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Did you imagine?

SPEAKER_00 22:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

My there was only going to be one Dr. D'Amico, and that's my sister.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

Is that right? MD or PhD? M D D S. Huh? MD. Ooh, fantastic. I love that. Oh, I love six high-achieving successful people. Uh, good stuff, brother. All right, man. Thank you for that. I think the audience, and uh, I'll speak for myself. I appreciated that, and I hope you guys did too. Uh, and we'll catch you on the weekend uh when the Montreal Canadians um double dip against the California teams. This time, they're coming here uh to the ice storm. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

Thank you, everybody, and please take two Tylenol at the end of this episode.

SPEAKER_00 23:00

Have a good day, y'all. Bye.