Andrew Shaw was acquired by the Canadiens in a draft night trade with Chicago. The pending restricted free agent was reportedly close to re-signing with the Blackhawks last week according to TSN’s Darren Dreger (via Today’s Slapshot) but the Blackhawks had to stop negotiations once the salary cap only increased by $1.6MM which ultimately led to him being traded for the 39th (Alex DeBrincat) and 45th (Chad Krys) picks in this weekend’s draft.
Picking up where the Hawks left off, Montreal is already believed to be in talks on a new deal with Shaw’s agent Pat Brisson. Dreger suggested Saturday that the contract should be a long-term one, potentially between 5-7 years in length.
On Sunday, Marc-Antoine Godin of La Presse reported that the Canadiens have tendered Shaw a 6 year offer worth just under $4MM per season. That would represent a sizable jump from the $2.5MM he earned in salary last year, the second of a two year bridge contract. The Canadiens must present Shaw with a $2.5MM qualifying offer in advance of Monday’s deadline.
Last season, Shaw finished eighth in Hawks’ scoring, picking up 14 goals and 20 assists (a career high) in 78 games while averaging 14:39 in ice time. He also added 4 goals (to lead the team) and 2 helpers in 6 postseason contests while logging 13:54 per night.
$4 per would seem a tad high on a shorter contract, but $4 per on 5+ seems about right to me.