Ranking the 10 Most Team-Friendly Contracts in 2023-24 NHL Season
Thanks to the salary cap, NHL teams must invest their dollars wisely to ensure they can build and maintain competitive rosters. Overspending on a handful of players leaves little room to address weaknesses elsewhere in the lineup.
The best players still command the most money, especially if they're well-established stars. Shrewd general managers attempt to identify which promising players have star potential and sign them to long-term contracts that they hope become team-friendly deals.
That path is not without risk. A budding star can fail to play up to expectations or become hampered by injuries, leaving the team with an overpaid player taking up valuable cap space that could've been put toward more deserving talent.
If the general manager gets it right, however, it can be quite rewarding over the long term. A player who outperforms his contract, such as Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl or Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, ensures more cap room to add or retain high-end talent, increasing a team's chances of contending for the Stanley Cup.
In this ranking of the NHL's 10 most team-friendly contracts in 2023-24, we've excluded all players currently on their entry-level contracts. They must be on at least their second contract, which is at least three years in length at the time of their signing.
Do you agree or disagree with our ranking? Is there a player not on our list that you believe belongs there? Let us know and give us your reasons in our app comments section.
10. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
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Now in his seventh NHL season, Miro Heiskanen could be one of the most underappreciated of the league's elite defensemen. An all-around player who performs well at both ends of the ice, he's often overshadowed by puck-moving blueliners such as the Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar, the New York Rangers' Adam Fox and the Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes.
The Dallas Stars certainly know what they have in Heiskanen. That's why they signed him to an eight-year, $67.6 million contract in July 2021 after he completed his entry-level deal. His $8.5 million annual average value is already aging well and should continue doing so as the 24-year-old blueliner enters his playing prime.
Heiskanen's skills shouldn't come as a surprise following his performance during the Stars' run to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. As a 21-year-old sophomore, he led his teammates and all defensemen with 26 points to finish third among that postseason's leading scorers, including sitting second in assists with 20.
After four seasons in which he exceeded 30 points three times, Heiskanen showed off his offensive skills in 2022-23 under Stars coach Peter DeBoer, finishing with 73 points in 79 games to sit fifth among their leading scorers as well as seventh among the league's defensemen.
With the salary cap projected to rise in the coming years, Heiskanen's contract will increasingly become a bargain for the Stars. It will help his club retain other players as well as add to its roster with trades and free-agent signings.
9. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander took their contract negotiations right up to the Dec. 1, 2018, deadline for signing restricted free agents. They ultimately agreed to a six-year, $45 million deal.
According to CapFriendly, because Nylander signed his deal after the season started as a restricted free agent, the structure of his average annual value varied. He received $10.3 million in the first season, followed by an AAV of $7.0 million in the remaining five seasons.
Because Nylander missed training camp and the opening two months of the 2018-19 season, he struggled through the remainder of that campaign with just 27 points in 54 games and three points in seven playoff games. However, Nylander's lower AAV over the remainder of his contract became quite a bargain for the Leafs as he steadily improved his performance.
Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, Nylander sat second on the Leafs in total goals with 122 and third in points with 268. That includes an 80-point performance in 2021-22 and a career-best 40-goal, 87-point effort in 2022-23. In postseason play over the period, he's their leader with 14 goals while sitting third in points with 29.
Now in the final season of his current contract, Nylander leads all Leafs in scoring with 29 points as of Dec. 4. He's given the Leafs great value, but it's going to cost them considerably more to keep him in Toronto beyond this season. He could command between $10 million and $11 million annually.
8. Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
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Winnipeg Jets veterans Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele as well as former Jets like Blake Wheeler, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Patrik Laine tended to draw much of the spotlight away from Kyle Connor. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old winger has been their most reliable scorer.
Since Connor's full-time rookie debut in 2017-18 through 2022-23, he led the Jets in total points with 419. He's also their leader in total goals with 207 to sit seventh among all NHL scorers during that period.
Connor signed his current seven-year, $50 million contract ($7.1 million AAV) on Sep. 28, 2019. However, that was overshadowed by Laine signing his two-year, $13.5 million deal ($6.8 million AAV) the day prior. At that time, Laine was considered a bigger star because of his 44-goal sophomore season in 2017-18.
Fast-forward to 2023-24 and Laine is struggling to regain his scoring touch with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Connor, meanwhile, was the Jets' leading scorer in 2019-20, 2021-22 (with a career-best 47-goal, 93-point performance) and 2022-23. He leads the Jets this season with 15 goals in 24 games and sits second in points with 26.
The Jets did a good job locking up Connor to his current contract. They should continue to receive terrific value for their salary-cap dollars through most of the high-scoring left winger's playing prime.
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7. Tim Stützle, Ottawa Senators
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The Ottawa Senators have built up their roster in recent years around young talent such as Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Tim Stützle. Of this group, the 21-year-old Stützle has become the standout
Chosen third overall by the Senators in the 2020 NHL draft, Stützle displayed his potential by making their roster during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season despite an injured hand that saw him miss training camp and the start of the season. In 53 games, he tallied a respectable 29 points.
Stützle followed that up with 22 goals and 58 points in 2021-22 to finish second among Senators scorers. Then-general manager Pierre Dorion liked what he saw from the young center, signing him on Sept. 7, 2022, to an eight-year, $66.8 million contract extension with an average annual value of $8.4 million.
With that extension in his pocket, Stützle didn't rest on his laurels. He led the Senators last season with a 39-goal, 90-point performance, finishing 19th among NHL scorers. He was also the first Ottawa player since Jason Spezza in 2007-08 to reach the 90-point plateau and only the fifth player in franchise history to do so.
This season finds the Senators once again near the bottom of the standings. Stützle, however, remains their scoring leader with 23 points in 19 games in the first season of his current contract. The young German center has yet to reach his full potential. When he does, that $8.4 million cap hit should become a bargain for the Senators over the life of that deal.
6. Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
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Chosen fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2017 NHL draft, Elias Pettersson won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2018-19 with a 66-point performance. He had 66 points in 68 games the following season before the NHL was shut down by COVID-19. A wrist injury during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign limited him to 21 points in 26 games.
Pettersson still landed a significant raise coming out of his entry-level contract. On Oct. 1, 2021, he agreed to a three-year bridge deal with an average annual value of $7.4 million. Given his play up to that point, it seemed certain that the Canucks would get full value for their money.
During the first season of that deal, Pettersson managed 68 points in 80 games as the Canucks stumbled through the 2021-22 campaign. The following season, however, he led them in scoring with a career-best 102-point breakout performance. Through 25 games this season, he's among the league's top 10 scorers with 32 points.
Slated to become a restricted free agent next July, Pettersson told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Aug. 23 that he's not going to rush things as he's yet to decide if he'll ink a long- or short-term deal with the Canucks. Regardless of the length of his next deal, the average annual value could be among the NHL's highest.
No matter how things turn out on Pettersson's next contract, the Canucks got more than their money's worth out of him since 2022-23. His current cap is a bargain for an established 100-point player.
5. Adam Fox, New York Rangers
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Joining the New York Rangers as a rookie in 2019-20, Adam Fox quickly served notice that he would be one of the league's elite defensemen. He has also become one of the key factors behind his club's emergence since 2021-22 among the Eastern Conference's top teams.
With 42 points in 70 games, Fox finished fourth for the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2019-20. During the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, he netted 47 points in 55 games as he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy and was named to the First All-Star Team.
That performance earned Fox a seven-year, $66.5 million contract extension from the Rangers. He finished his entry-level season in 2021-22 with a career-best 74-point performance as the Blueshirts emerged from their rebuild to reach the 2022 Eastern Conference Final.
The Rangers stumbled a bit last season by bowing out in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Fox, however, had another outstanding performance. He proved himself worthy of his $9.5 million cap hit by finishing as a finalist for the Norris Trophy and earning a spot on the First All-Star Team.
Despite a lower-body injury sidelining Fox for 10 games this season, he remains among the league's very best all-around defensemen. His contract, meanwhile, will continue to be a cost-effective deal for the Rangers as the 25-year-old enters his playing prime.
4. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
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The seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, Quinn Hughes wasted little time establishing himself as a potential superstar with the Vancouver Canucks. Making his full-time debut in 2019-20, he finished that COVID-shortened season with 53 points in 68 games to lead all rookie scorers. Hughes also had 16 points in 17 playoff games that summer.
That performance made Hughes a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy. It also put him on track to become one of the league's best puck-moving defensemen. From 2019-20 to 2022-23, he was third among all NHL blueliners and all Canucks scorers with 238 total points while averaging a team-leading 24:03 of time on ice per game.
Coming off his entry-level contract, Hughes signed a six-year, $47.1 million deal with the Canucks on Oct. 1, 2021. The $7.9 million average annual value has turned into a very team-friendly amount for a player who has become one of the league's elite defensemen.
Hughes is off to what could be his best season yet. With 34 points in 25 games, he not only led all blueliners in scoring but also sat among the league's top five players in points. Named the Canucks' captain at the start of this season, Hughes is proving that his defensive game is as strong as his offensive play.
Only 24, Hughes is approaching the prime of his playing career and could become a perennial finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. The Canucks should continue to reap the salary-cap benefits of having one of the game's best defensemen under contract for three more seasons at a cap hit much lower than his peers.
3. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
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After missing the playoffs in 11 of 13 seasons from 2010-11 to 2021-22, the New Jersey Devils set franchise records last season with 52 wins and 112 points to finish third in the Eastern Conference. Leading the way was center Jack Hughes, who set a franchise single-season points record with 99.
Chosen first overall in the 2019 NHL draft, Hughes was among a group of promising young Devils including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer and Hughes' younger brother Luke. They've established themselves as their club's roster core with Jack as the main star.
Hughes joined the Devils in 2019-20 and showed tantalizing glimpses of his potential. Growing pains as well as injuries limited his effectiveness, but management saw enough to sign him to an eight-year, $64 million contract extension in November 2021.
Following a promising but injury-shortened 56-point performance in 49 games during the 2021-22 season, Hughes emerged as a full-fledged superstar last season during the Devils' record-setting performance. While another injury sidelined him early in this season, he's among the league's leading scorers with 30 points in just 17 games.
Hughes is playing on a level that far exceeds the $8 million average annual value of his current contract. If he can remain healthy, he has the potential to exceed 100 points and contend for the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Art Ross Trophy. Best of all for the Devils is they have their 22-year-old superstar under contract for another six years.
2. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
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The reaction was mixed among Edmonton Oilers followers over the club's signing Leon Draisaitl to an eight-year, $68-million contract on Aug. 16, 2017. While most were happy with the length of the deal, his $8.5 million average annual value seemed too high for most observers.
At the time, Draisaitl was coming off his entry-level contract. He had a breakout performance as a scorer with 77 points in 82 games along with 16 points in 13 playoff contests. Most of those critics concerned over his new cap hit fretted that they hadn't seen a big enough sample size of his performance to merit such a hefty raise.
As it turned it, this contract became one of the biggest bargains in the NHL. Following a 70-point effort in 2017-18, Draisaitl has become one of the highest-scoring superstars in the league. Without his bargain cap hit, the Oilers likely wouldn't have been able to sign Evander Kane and Zach Hyman and might've lost Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to free agency.
From his 105-point performance in 2018-19 through last season's career-best 128-point campaign, Draisaitl led all scorers through that period with 231 total goals and was second to teammate Connor McDavid with 306 assists and 537 points. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award and the Art Ross Trophy in 2019-20.
Signed through 2024-25, the 28-year-old Draisaitl remains an elite superstar. Following a slow start to this season for himself and his teammates, the Oilers forward had 29 points in 22 games and is rising quickly among this season's leading scorers. He's still providing plenty of value for the Oilers' cap dollars.
1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
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Joining the Colorado Avalanche fresh out of college during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cale Makar wasted no time making an impact. He's gone on to become the best defenseman in the league and the prototype for smaller, highly skilled puck-moving blueliners who are increasing the pace of today's game.
Following his rookie season in 2019-20, Makar would take home the Calder Memorial Trophy with 50 points in 57 games. As a sophomore during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, he was named to the First All-Star Team and was a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy.
Following that season, the Avalanche wasted no time getting Makar re-signed, inking him to a six-year, $54 million contract. It has thus far proved to be a cost-effective deal.
Since signing that contract, Makar established himself as the league's top defenseman by winning the Norris Trophy in 2021-22 and was named to the First All-Star Team for the second time. He also took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Avalanche's Stanley Cup championship run.
Despite missing 22 games to injury last season, Makar still finished with 66 points in 60 games, was a finalist for the Norris, and made the Second All-Star Team. He's currently jockeying with Vancouver's Quinn Hughes for the scoring lead among NHL defensemen.
Makar's $9 million AAV currently ranks ninth among all NHL defensemen. However, he is outperforming most of those ahead of him. Given what he's accomplished thus far, his contract should be considered the most team-friendly. It will be even more so as the 25-year-old enters his playing prime while the salary cap rises during that period.
Stats via NHL.com with salary info via CapFriendly and additional info via Hockey-Reference.com.
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