We are into the middle of July and the Canadiens still haven’t signed their restricted free agents Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron to a new contract. The Canadiens are likely trying to reach a long-term extension with Kaiden Guhle first to set the market for their defensemen and establish a benchmark, like Nick Suzuki’s contract with the forwards. It’s a savvy move by Kent Hughes, who knows the salary cap game well after years of being an agent. The issue for the Habs is if they let those players stay out there for too long, another team could come along and steal them.

The Canadiens have plenty of cap space, so the chances of any team coming along with an offer sheet are slim because they know the Habs will match. However, if a team with a lot of cap space makes that move, they could force the Habs into a decision. With their depth on defense, the Canadiens may take the draft pick compensation and move on if the return is substantial enough. With that said, let’s look at the draft pick compensation for offer sheets.

Let’s look at three teams who may test the waters on signing Arber Xhekaj to an offer sheet. We’ll assume the deal will be somewhere in the $2.1 million to $4.2 million range, as teams won’t be willing to give up a first and third round pick.