Canadiens GM Kent Hughes approved a $12.5 million contract, per Elliotte Friedman

The Canadiens would have matched the six-year, $12.5 million deal the Maple Leafs gave Kirill Marchenko, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

That's a rough thing to digest in Montreal on a Thursday, with the Canadiens back home against the Predators tonight and riding a two-game losing skid.

Friedman added that Montreal would have gone there even if it altered a tight salary structure. How far outside the lines is that for Kent Hughes?

Pretty far. Noah Dobson tops the Canadiens' payroll at $9.5 million, which means the Russian forward would have landed $3 million above anyone on the roster.

Below Dobson, it's a tidy ladder. Nick Suzuki carries $7.875 million and Juraj Slafkovsky sits at $7.6 million.

Dropping a deal that size on top is like a family that clips coupons for every grocery run, then parks a sports car in the driveway. The neighbors start asking questions.

Ivan Demidov's injury makes the Marchenko miss hurt even more

Demidov is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Oct. 31. That's a skilled forward out of Martin St-Louis's lineup for weeks.

And the goals against keep piling up. Montreal has allowed 14 through its first 3 games, and no coach can live with that.

The crease isn't settled either. Samuel Montembeault is day-to-day with an undisclosed issue, and Jakub Dobes owns a .857 save percentage so far.

Meanwhile, Marchenko has 3 points in his first 4 games this season. One of those is a power play goal, and he's picked up a power play assist too.

The -2 rating stands out on a Leafs team sitting at an even goal differential. Nobody in Toronto paid that price for his defensive reads, though.

Auston Matthews already carries $13.25 million against the cap, and William Nylander sits at $11.5 million. The Leafs are now stacking a third big ticket on the forward group.

Here's my problem with it. Toronto will pay this forward the same cap hit Connor McDavid carries in Edmonton, and that's an overpay any way you slice it.

Montreal walking away might age better than anyone in Quebec wants to admit tonight. Or it might haunt Hughes for six years.

The Canadiens already took the first meeting, 3-2 in Toronto on Sept. 29. The rematch lands Nov. 7, again in Toronto.

Jim Hiller's group starts a three-game road trip in Vegas tonight, and the Leafs haven't played a single road game yet.

By November, Marchenko will be skating against the team that wanted him. Will Montreal still believe it should have paid up?

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