Montreal Canadiens sign Kaiden Guhle to entry-level contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed Kaiden Guhle to his entry-level contract.

The three-year contract will technically start in the 2020-21 season but unless Guhle plays 10 games at the NHL level, the contract will slide and be automatically extended. It also will not count towards the limit of 50 contracts.

Guhle was taken 16th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, and is not expected to be a factor for the NHL roster this season. However, this does give the team a little more flexibility in what they can do with the prospect given the uncertainty of the upcoming season.

The WHL is slated for a January start, but it remains to be seen what affect this will have on NHL prospects.

The standard entry-level contract will see Guhle earn $832,500 at the NHL level with a signing bonus of $92,500 per season, for an average annual value of $925,000. The deal also contains Performance “A” bonuses to a maximum of $420,000 in each season. Guhle would make $80,000 per season at the AHL level.

Unless there is an exception made or a change to the rules, Guhle won’t be eligible to play in the AHL until he uses up his entire CHL eligibility.