1978 Habs - what would they look like if there was a salary cap?

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Those overpriced congrats Bergevin handed out help to get to the cap floor.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

'71 was a great performance. To be fair, though, Dryden wasn't the only person who left after that last Cup win. Pollock, Bowman, Lemaire all left, too.

Yeah but Dryden was still in his prime.

 

[HuGort]

What would their respective salaries be today?

View attachment 804344

Hard to keep dynasties together in hard cap world

Pollock probably would have traded off veteran star for high draft pick in '78. After 3 cups. He'd figured something out.

 

[tinyzombies]

Lafleur 12M
Shutt 10M
Lemaire 9M
Houle 5M
Larouche 7M
Robinson 12M
Cournoyer 7M
Mondou 0.975M
Risebrough 6M
Savard 7M
Lambert 6M
Gainey 4M
Jarvis 0.975M
Lapointe 9M
Nyrop 4M
Tremblay 2.5M
Chartraw 1.5M
Bouchard 6M
Larocque 2M
Engblom 0.9M
Lupien 0.9M
Wilson 2M
Dryden 10.5M

Cap: 126.25 million

Hilarious. The Yankees of hockey. I would tweak it a bit:

Robinson 8.5M (i'll give him Cale Makar money)
Dryden 8.5M (signed his contract in 74, so would have been lower)
Lafleur 8M (signed what turned out to be lowball contract in 74 also)
Shutt 8M (I'll put him on a par with Caufield)
Lemaire 8M ( i'd go a bit lower)
Larouche 8M (was a 50 goal guy before coming to Montreal... I'm going to up it)
Cournoyer 8M (veteran contract, scorer, i'll up it)
Lapointe 8M
Savard 7.5M
Lambert 5M
Houle 5M
Risebrough 4M (third liner money)
Bouchard 3.5M
Wilson 2M
Larocque 2M
Tremblay 1.5M
Gainey 1M (had just won his first Selke... I don't think he would have been paid yet lol...)
Nyrop 1M
Mondou 0.975M (78-79 was his breakout, so probably true)
Jarvis 0.975M
Chartraw 750K
Engblom 0.9M
Lupien 0.9M

Cap: 102,000,000 million


Assuming we're in the cap era, 20 million would have to go lol...so, you let go:
Larouche, Houle, Bouchard, Larocque, Wilson, Risebrough, Nyrop.

This before the 78-79 season would mean the team is beat up and loses its depth. THen again the Bruins would lose players too most likely.


Reasoning:
Larouche's 8M is the first candidate (they were already disenchanted with him defensively... Bowman was anyway)+1M to replace
Houle 5M is replaceable, tho a very nice third liner +1M to replace
Bouchard 3.5M is replaceable+1M to replace
Larocque 2M is replaceable for 1m, saves +1M to replace

saves 14.5M so far... need another 5.5M

Wilson 2M can go, saves 1M (4.5M to go)
Cournoyer 8M - his back was shot by then ... if his contract is up you have to let him go, if not...

It's probably Risebrough 4M... his output dipped 19 points....
And this was the summer that Nyrop 1M did quit, so...

 

[HuGort]

Hilarious. The Yankees of hockey. I would tweak it a bit:

Robinson 8.5M (i'll give him Cale Makar money)
Dryden 8.5M (signed his contract in 74, so would have been lower)
Lafleur 8M (signed what turned out to be lowball contract in 74 also)
Shutt 8M (I'll put him on a par with Caufield)
Lemaire 8M ( i'd go a bit lower)
Larouche 8M (was a 50 goal guy before coming to Montreal... I'm going to up it)
Cournoyer 8M (veteran contract, scorer, i'll up it)
Lapointe 8M
Savard 7.5M
Lambert 5M
Houle 5M
Risebrough 4M (third liner money)
Bouchard 3.5M
Wilson 2M
Larocque 2M
Tremblay 1.5M
Gainey 1M (had just won his first Selke... I don't think he would have been paid yet lol...)
Nyrop 1M
Mondou 0.975M (78-79 was his breakout, so probably true)
Jarvis 0.975M
Chartraw 750K
Engblom 0.9M
Lupien 0.9M

Cap: 102,000,000 million


Assuming we're in the cap era, 20 million would have to go lol...so, you let go:
Larouche, Houle, Bouchard, Larocque, Wilson, Risebrough, Nyrop.

This before the 78-79 season would mean the team is beat up and loses its depth. THen again the Bruins would lose players too most likely.


Reasoning:
Larouche's 8M is the first candidate (they were already disenchanted with him defensively... Bowman was anyway)+1M to replace
Houle 5M is replaceable, tho a very nice third liner +1M to replace
Bouchard 3.5M is replaceable+1M to replace
Larocque 2M is replaceable for 1m, saves +1M to replace

saves 14.5M so far... need another 5.5M

Wilson 2M can go, saves 1M (4.5M to go)
Cournoyer 8M - his back was shot by then ... if his contract is up you have to let him go, if not...

It's probably Risebrough 4M... his output dipped 19 points....
And this was the summer that Nyrop 1M did quit, so...

We probably won more cups. Islanders took a beating too

 

[Cournoyer12]

Yeah but Dryden was still in his prime.

The Big M was also a HUGE reason for the Cup win in71!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The Big M was also a HUGE reason for the Cup win in71!

No player does it alone.

Claude Lemieux was a big reason for us winning in 86…

I never got to see 71. If tapes of the series existed that’s the one playoff run I’d have loved to have been able to see.

 

[HuGort]

The Big M was also a HUGE reason for the Cup win in71!

I think that was real start to late season trades. Big M was better in '73 playoffs

 

[RealityBytes]

It wasn't just a no salary cap back then, but it was before players could jump to free agency. That's what held players in place on the same team. Players couldn't just jump to other teams for a larger salary. Unrestricted Free agency only started in 1995.

As such, if you are comparing a then and now, if free agency was available back then in the 70s, the teams would not have been made up of the same players.

 

[HuGort]

It wasn't just a no salary cap back then, but it was before players could jump to free agency. That's what held players in place on the same team. Players couldn't just jump to other teams for a larger salary. Unrestricted Free agency only started in 1995.

As such, if you are comparing a then and now, if free agency was available back then in the 70s, the teams would not have been made up of the same players.

They had WHA to contend with though. Not in place today. WHA stole a lot of players from Habs. JC Tremblay, Tardif, Big M. They all be in hall of fame if stay in NHL

 

[Licou]

I am kind of surprised at the relatively lower salary of the big 3 compared to some of the forwards.

They were such a gigantic part of why this edition of the Habs became a dynasty, especially Robinson and Savard.

Lapointe being the highest paid of the 3 is a head scratcher for me.

It's probably a question of when the contracts were signed I guess.

 

[tinyzombies]

I am kind of surprised at the relatively lower salary of the big 3 compared to some of the forwards.

They were such a gigantic part of why this edition of the Habs became a dynasty, especially Robinson and Savard.

Lapointe being the highest paid of the 3 is a head scratcher for me.

It's probably a question of when the contracts were signed I guess.

Lapointe also scored 28 goals one year, and yes he was around longer than Robinson. Savard was more a stay-at-home after breaking his leg twice, and they didn't pay for that back then.

 

[nhlfan9191]

It wasn't just a no salary cap back then, but it was before players could jump to free agency. That's what held players in place on the same team. Players couldn't just jump to other teams for a larger salary. Unrestricted Free agency only started in 1995.

As such, if you are comparing a then and now, if free agency was available back then in the 70s, the teams would not have been made up of the same players.

True but you didn’t have a ton of options to jump ship in the 70’s.

 

[HuGort]

I am kind of surprised at the relatively lower salary of the big 3 compared to some of the forwards.

They were such a gigantic part of why this edition of the Habs became a dynasty, especially Robinson and Savard.

Lapointe being the highest paid of the 3 is a head scratcher for me.

It's probably a question of when the contracts were signed I guess.

Different eras and Pollock was known as smart negotiator. Probably put it over an agent. Salaries weren't released back then like now. I think that started 1990.

 

[salbutera]

I am kind of surprised at the relatively lower salary of the big 3 compared to some of the forwards.

They were such a gigantic part of why this edition of the Habs became a dynasty, especially Robinson and Savard.

Lapointe being the highest paid of the 3 is a head scratcher for me.

It's probably a question of when the contracts were signed I guess.

Mtl Canadiens had the highest team salary in the league for decades and they also provided deferred salary payment structure to lower taxation & retirement planning.

Players in all major sports lived in neighborhoods as their fans did, which made them more relatable … all that started changing in the 80s

That’s why Savard always says, if Habs didn’t win a Cup, players would hear about it all summer long - there was no escaping it

 

[Licou]

Lapointe also scored 28 goals one year, and yes he was around longer than Robinson. Savard was more a stay-at-home after breaking his leg twice, and they didn't pay for that back then.

Makes sense. I keep forgetting about Savard's leg injuries.

I am not old enough to have watched these teams, so I can only go by my relatives' opinions and all of the vintage game videos I could get man hands onto.

I have a strongish hockey family so their opinion is worthwhile. Their praise for Savard is immense. Some go as far as saying that he was fundamentally better than Robinson in all areas of the game, but much less intimidating of course.

As for myself, I love watching Savard in those vintage videos. I find that he had a thing for controlling the pace of the game that I have not seen from any other defensemen. That being said, from my limited viewings, I always preferred Robinson for his direct approach to the game as well as his legendary intimidation factor.

Lapointe was obviously a legendary player in his own right, but for me at least, he never stood out like like the other two.

That being said, having these 3 at the same time is absolutely unfair. What a crazy stacked team seriously

Edit: I do realize that my ramblings have nothing to do with salary

 

[Habs10Habs]

I remember talking to Guy Lafleur (RIP) about salaries. I think it was around the time that Crosby signed his contract. He wished he could be playing at that time. Since if I remember correctly, his highest salary (when he played) was around 350K per year.

 

[tinyzombies]

Makes sense. I keep forgetting about Savard's leg injuries.

I am not old enough to have watched these teams, so I can only go by my relatives' opinions and all of the vintage game videos I could get man hands onto.

I have a strongish hockey family so their opinion is worthwhile. Their praise for Savard is immense. Some go as far as saying that he was fundamentally better than Robinson in all areas of the game, but much less intimidating of course.

As for myself, I love watching Savard in those vintage videos. I find that he had a thing for controlling the pace of the game that I have not seen from any other defensemen. That being said, from my limited viewings, I always preferred Robinson for his direct approach to the game as well as his legendary intimidation factor.

Lapointe was obviously a legendary player in his own right, but for me at least, he never stood out like like the other two.

That being said, having these 3 at the same time is absolutely unfair. What a crazy stacked team seriously

Edit: I do realize that my ramblings have nothing to do with salary

I think those are exactly my impressions. Looking back it’s amazing how well that team skated and moved the puck in that era with those skates. N team did that until the Oilers.

Mtl Canadiens had the highest team salary in the league for decades and they also provided deferred salary payment structure to lower taxation & retirement planning.

Players in all major sports lived in neighborhoods as their fans did, which made them more relatable … all that started changing in the 80s

That’s why Savard always says, if Habs didn’t win a Cup, players would hear about it all summer long - there was no escaping it

Not sure the players saw it that way.

 

[JianYang]

Cross border taxation can get messy and complicated, so someone who is an expert in the field can correct me if I'm wrong.

But it appears easier to me for an american player to save on taxes in Canada than a canadian player playing in Canada especially if you structure it properly.

 

[HuGo Sham]

A duplex in NDG was 25k. Today probably 1.2m?

That puts Lafleur at $3.5m salary or so compared to today? When really he’d be getting $10-11m now (although he had signed long term a few years before so maybe $8m)?

ain't no duplex for 1.2 mill in NDG - unless you plan on living in the sketchy areas

 

[tinyzombies]

ain't no duplex for 1.2 mill in NDG - unless you plan on living in the sketchy areas

NDG - the Monte Carlo of Canada.

 

[RealityBytes]

True but you didn’t have a ton of options to jump ship in the 70’s.

Only 16 teams in the NHL in 1974, but the reason there were very few options is that changing teams on your own just wasn't allowed in the 1970s. A player would have to go to a different league, such as the WHA prior to its merge in1979.

 

[HuGort]

I remember talking to Guy Lafleur (RIP) about salaries. I think it was around the time that Crosby signed his contract. He wished he could be playing at that time. Since if I remember correctly, his highest salary (when he played) was around 350K per year.

Look at ticket prices then and now.

 

[HuGort]

I remember going ton of games in '70s. Only had a part time student job, could afford good seats. I remember sitting at the glass during playoff game against Leafs.

Last game I went to, the four of us, I had two beer, grandkids had hot dogs and nachos I think. It was a $1,000 night. And I was in nose bleed section. Why I hardly go.

 

[JianYang]

I remember going ton of games in '70s. Only had a part time student job, could afford good seats. I remember sitting at the glass during playoff game against Leafs.

Last game I went to, the four of us, I had two beer, grandkids had hot dogs and nachos I think. It was a $1,000 night. And I was in nose bleed section. Why I hardly go.

Yeah, with the audio and TV advancements since the 70s, I think the only way i would actually go to a game is if I got free tickets.

The home experience has just gotten so much better.