I wouldn't touch laine with a 10-ft pole... and thats me, who really likes the kid

why not? I think if he can stay healthy that's a really good deal for him

because it would upset the pecking order. I don't see anything good coming from having him make 8.7m and the captain, who is also our best player make 1m less

It'd be one thing if Montreal signed the contract, but they didn't, sure Laine makes more but Montreal didn't choose how much he makes, and could reset the "pecking order" when Laine's deal is up, or Laine proves he deserves to be the highest paid player on the team (unlikely imo but not impossible) and the "pecking order" is adjusted to have Laine be at the top. Just because Suzuki is the captain doesn't mean he has to be the highest paid on the team, I think most captains aren't the highest paid on the team