The big issue is going to be Hutson's new deal...
How so?
If you are reasonable in what you establish for a given type of player, all will work out -- and Hughes, as an ex-agent, knows how to convey those concepts.
For example, Suzuki is the de facto leader of this team. but, despite being an elite two-way C that could one day win a Selke trophy, he is not a franchise player under a labelling of Generational, franchise, elite and star as levels of skill.
Hutson, IMO, is at a franchise player level as he definitely makes everyone around him better, except maybe for lost cases at the end of their rope like Savard with no upside remaining to tap into.
Demidov may well prove to be another such franchise level player, but that remains to be seen.
If Suzuki got 8.9% of the cap when he signed his current contract, as an elite C, Hughes will have to offer a higher percentage to franchise level players on their 2nd NHL contracts.
I don't think that 10% is enough of a bump based on the difference in talent levels, but no player -- not even generational talents -- get the 20% maximum allowed by the current CBA, because hockey is truly a team sport and can't be compared to basketball, for example, where 5 or 6 players can earn the vast majority of the Cap.
If a generational talent earns 15.72% of the Cap space for a team (McDavid's last percentage of his team's Cap ceiling at the time), how much should a franchise player earn? I'd suggest that 13% should be about right, but it would be up to Hughes to convince both Hutson and Demidov (if he also proves to be a franchise level player) that 12% is a fair expression of the compensation required on an 8-Year contract for players of their talent level.
Hutson would be entitled to a roughly 12.5M Cap hit based on a 104M Cap and, when his turn comes when the Cap has reached 113.5M, Demidov would command a 13.5M Cap hit
While fair, it would quickly contribute to not all that many players eating up a good chunk of the Cap ceiling (even at 113.5M). Demidov (13.5M), Hutson (12.5M), Suzuki (7.875M), Caufield (7.85M), Slafkovsky (7.6M) and Guhle (5.55M) would already account for 48.35% of a 113.5M Cap ceiling, with 17 other players for a maximum roster size and some leeway for the injury reserve (not the LTIR) to consider when trying to fit under the maximum cap allowed.
While an average of 3.45M for the 17 remaining players, before considering at least 1M for the IR, seems like a lot on the surface, it doesn't take into account the salary for a genuine 2C, or the 2nd NHL contract for a player with the projected skill ceiling of a Reinbacher, for example.
If you consider that Reinbacher, at 7.5M under a 113.5M total Cap , were to get a percentage of the cap equivalent to Guhle's contract (6.57%), for example, if he pans out as projected and, very conservatively speaking, 6.5M for a 2C worth speaking of, that's 14M more to amputate from the 113.5M Cap ceiling, leaving an average of under 3M per remaining player to sign (15) at 2.975M now.
By then, 2.975M (2.6% of the Cap) will be perceived as chump change for a 4th line player and not commensurate to what a 3rd pairing D is earning.
Talent creates a lot of work for Hughes who will also need to convince players like Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky and Guhle that they are worth the same amount of money, as they earned in a lesser Cap environment, when they are due to sign an extension for a third NHL contract.
That will become more difficult as mere supporting cast players start earning closer to what these players are earning in a much larger role with the team.
While it demonstrates just how important it was to sign long term contracts at reasonable cap hits with Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky and Guhle, it also illustrates how quickly the cap will become tight going forward for Hughes, even if it is scheduled to rise sharply for the next three years.
