According to Eric Engels of Sportsnet, the negotiations between Alexander Radulov and Montreal Canadiens are currently ongoing with positivity from both sides. Engels speculates a contract of four to five years in length, and worth between $6-6.5MM per season. Radulov is coming off a one-year deal worth $5.75MM and would enter the market as one of the top available free agents should he reach July 1st. An extension, even if agreed upon, would not be announced until after the expansion draft as the team currently does not need to protect the Russian forward.
Radulov’s “show me” season went off without much of a hitch this season, returning from the KHL to post 54 points in 76 games. Generally considered one of the Canadiens’ top-two offensive threats, finding a way to get him under a long-term extension is an important part of their offseason plan. Signing any 30-year old to a five-year extension is a risky proposition, and this is no different. If his production falters as he enters the latter part of his career, a $6MM cap-hit could potentially strangle the Canadiens’ salary structure in the future. That said, the team only currently has two forwards signed past 2018-19, giving them a lot of flexibility moving forward.
With extensions for Carey Price and Max Pacioretty due the next two offseasons, Montreal is a sort of interesting crossroads in their development. All three players, including Radulov will be over 30 when signing their next deals, and will join Shea Weber in taking up huge chunks of cap space. Though they are excellent players and can clearly be the core to a playoff contender, they could find themselves in trouble down the road with several players in their mid-30s earning substantial paychecks. Even though they seem to be in a good situation cap-wise currently, that could quickly change with a few contracts or steep declines in performance.
Provided he can sustain his level of play from this past season, a 4-6 year deal isn’t bad so long as his cap hit remains in the 6-6.5 range.