TORONTO -- It seems the Montreal Alouettes will have to do with one less first-round pick in this month's CFL Canadian college draft.

Two league sources requesting anonymity said Friday the Alouettes will be fined and stripped of a first-round pick in the draft, which goes April 30 via conference call, as a result of surpassing the CFL's 2007 salary cap of $4.05 million.

Montreal was to pick at No. 4 but will be forced to give that up and be relegated to just one first-round selection, that coming at No. 8.

Hamilton has the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, followed by Edmonton and Calgary. After Montreal at No. 4 are Saskatchewan (via Toronto), B.C., and Winnipeg with the Alouettes completing the round with the eighth selection.

The sources said now teams selecting fifth through eighth will move up a spot and Hamilton will make the final selection at No. 8 based upon having waiver priority for posting the CFL's worst record last year. Then the Ticats will kick off the second round with the ninth overall selection.

But the other CFL teams that adhered to the cap feel they too deserve consideration for the extra first-round selection. So an alternate proposal is before the CFL that would see the first round consist of seven selections and the Ticats selecting the 48th and final player of the draft based on waiver priority. However, given that all eight teams signed off on the original plan and the draft is just over a week away, the sources said it's unlikely the league will adopt the alternate proposal.

The CFL conducted off-season audits of its member clubs and is in the process of going over its findings with the teams.

Sources said both Saskatchewan and Montreal surpassed the $4.05-million cap in 2007. However, the Grey Cup-champion Roughriders were less than $100,000 over and therefore will have to pay a fine but get to keep their 2008 first-round draft pick.

While it's not clear just how much Montreal was over, the loss of the draft pick would suggest the Als exceeded the cap by at least $100,000. Teams that spend up to $100,000 over the limit are fined $1 for each dollar they're over. For those between $100,000 and $300,000 over, the fines increase to $2 for each dollar over and clubs lose a first-round draft pick.

Teams exceeding the cap by more than $300,000 are fined $3 for each dollar over and also lose first- and second-round picks.

Montreal and other CFL teams will have a bit more cash to play with this year as the league boosted the salary cap to $4.2 million during the off-season.

While the penalty is a harsh one, it's not catastrophic for the Alouettes, who obtained their remaining first-round pick from Saskatchewan. However, Canadian content is valued in the CFL and after posting an 8-10 record last year, having two high draft picks would have made it easier for Montreal to fill the holes it currently has in its lineup.

The Alouettes' free spending certainly could prove to be a huge boon for Hamilton. The Ticats would have three of the first nine selections, great news for a rebuilding franchise that last year missed the CFL playoffs after posting a league-worst 3-15 record..

It would give Hamilton no shortage of options heading into the draft. The Ticats could confidently entertain offers for the No. 1 selection, looking at maybe securing a starter in return, safe in the knowledge they'll still get good players at Nos. 8 and 9. Or they could package their first two picks in a deal and still pick up a quality player at No. 9.

And finally, they could decide to keep all three selections and load up with blue-chip prospects.

All teams but the Toronto Argonauts will have first-round picks in this year's draft. The Argos held the fifth overall selection but dealt that to Saskatchewan in the deal to secure quarterback Kerry Joseph.

Toronto will make its first selection at No. 13, the fifth pick of the second round.