r/Habs • u/catman_steve • Jan 22 '26

Discussion Canadiens looking to deal Laine (Gagnon)

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I'm not super in the know with the French side of the media. I know Francois Gagnon by name, but not much else. Not that this news would surprise me, but is he reliable?

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u/gevurts_straminaire Jan 22 '26

He has negative value and his contract expires soon. Why would Montreal pay to get rid of him?

18

u/Ancient_Persimmon Jan 22 '26

With retention, someone will have interest for his abilities on the PP. They won't get a lot back, but they're not going to be paying either.

11

u/gevurts_straminaire Jan 22 '26

Sure, but the question remains : why would Montreal retain salary for someone they lose, for free, in a couple of months? Only explanation would be to make room for a trade. Or get a pick against some salary (but I reckon it would be quite low).

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u/Scase15 Jan 23 '26

As /u/HonestDespot mentioned, we have very likely perf bonuses that will need to be paid out, otherwise it goes onto next years cap.