Every NHL Team's Best Value Contract for the 2016-17 Season
The salary cap is omnipresent in the NHL today.
The strict upper limit brought in during the 2004-05 lockout (or in some cases, an even lower budget) forces teams to take the dollars and cents into account with every single move, and adjust their behavior accordingly. As a result, there’s never been more demand to get good players signed to cheap contracts.
The following slideshow is dedicated to those players. In each case, we consider a player’s statistical performance last year as well as his contract details, highlighting what we feel is the biggest bargain on every NHL team in 2016-17.
It’s important to note here that we’re not looking long-term—a great one-year deal is every bit as valuable in this consideration as a good four-year deal.
Read on to see which player should deliver the best bang for buck on your team next season.
Anaheim Ducks: G John Gibson
1 of 30
2015-16 stats: 40 games, 21-13-3 record, 0.920 save percentage
Contract terms: $2.3 million cap hit ($1.5 million salary); three years remaining
The Anaheim Ducks actually have a bunch of value contracts on the roster. Mason Raymond was a nice low-dollars gamble, while young defencemen Shea Theodore and Josh Manson should certainly outperform their modest deals.
It’s still difficult to look past John Gibson, though. He’s a quality NHL goaltender, and he’ll be the team’s presumptive starter for less money than many teams (including Anaheim) pay their backups. It’s also worth noting that the Ducks are a budget rather than cap team, so the more important number here might be his actual salary. That makes this an even better deal for the club.
Arizona Coyotes: LW Anthony Duclair
2 of 30
2015-16 stats: 81 games, 20 goals, 44 points, +3.9 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $772,500 cap hit ($832,500 salary); final year
The Arizona Coyotes have long been one of the NHL’s stingiest teams. Additionally, at this point in time, the club is loaded to the gills with up-and-coming players, many of them on entry-level deals. So it should not be even a little surprising that there are multiple candidates for best value contract.
Recent signings like Radim Vrbata and Louis Domingue have their place. Martin Hanzal, entering the fifth and final year of his contract, still represents phenomenal value. Max Domi and perhaps Dylan Strome also deserve consideration.
Yet, for all that, how could we pick against Anthony Duclair? Cap hit and actual salary alike are below $1.0 million, but a year ago he scored 20 goals and 44 points for Arizona.
Boston Bruins: LW Brad Marchand
3 of 30
2015-16 stats: 77 games, 37 goals, 61 points, plus-9.4 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $4.5 million cap hit ($5.0 million salary); final year
There are objections to giving Brad Marchand this title. He hit a career high in goals at the age of 27 and may well regress to his usual 25-goal territory. He does play with Patrice Bergeron. There are other options on the roster, too, players like Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak.
But the thing is that even at the 25-goal level, Marchand was a bargain. Along with Bergeron, he’s played brutally tough minutes in Boston for years. Generally, Bergeron gets the lion’s share of the credit for this, but Marchand’s exceptional work should not be overlooked.
In Marchand, the Bruins have a player who can be thrown to the wolves, one who stands out as much for what he does on the defensive side of the puck and in the physical department as for his scoring achievements.
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Buffalo Sabres: C Jack Eichel
4 of 30
2015-16 stats: 81 games, 24 goals, 56 points, minus-1.1 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 cap hit (salary potentially as high as $3.8 million); two years remaining
With due respect to Robin Lehner and Jake McCabe, the competition for the Buffalo Sabres' best value contract boils down to two names: Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Both were high picks, and both are now top players for Buffalo in their respective entry-level deals.
It’s hard to look past Eichel, who is generally regarded as having the most upside of the two.
As an NHL rookie, Eichel was the team’s second-leading scorer, and he took on more responsibility as the season progressed. He just turns 20 in October, and both his performance and team role should only increase next season.
Calgary Flames: G Brian Elliott
5 of 30
2015-16 stats: 42 games, 23-8-6 record, 0.930 save percentage
Contract terms: $2.5 million cap hit ($2.7 million salary); final year
With Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan still in need of new contracts, there’s quite a bit of salary uncertainty in Calgary right now. What's abundantly clear is, the team is getting a steal of a deal on its goaltenders.
Nominal backup Chad Johnson did a fine job as a starter in Buffalo last season; he was signed in free agency to a one-year, $1.7 million pact. Brian Elliott, who has been excellent for St. Louis over the last half-decade, makes scarcely more than that, and the two of them together should address what was the Flames’ biggest weakness a year ago.
It’s not very often that a team manages to have both the NHL’s reigning save percentage leader and a capable No. 1A goalie on its roster for a combined price of less than the average cost for a mid-tier starter.
Carolina Hurricanes: LD Jaccob Slavin
6 of 30
2015-16 stats: 63 games, two goals, 20 points, plus-3.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 cap hit and salary; two years remaining
There is very little excess on the Carolina Hurricanes’ roster. Even the team’s forays into unrestricted free agency produced sound bets, players like Lee Stempniak and Viktor Stalberg. Andrej Nestrasil was a good find, too, while Teuvo Teravainen was nice compensation for taking on Bryan Bickell’s contract.
A trio of defencemen on entry-level deals sit atop the list, though. Noah Hanifin, Brett Pesce and Jaccob Slavin all represent great value. Hanifin may jump to the front of the pack this coming season, but right now Slavin takes on the most responsibility, and his deal doesn’t even include performance bonuses.
A year ago, Slavin averaged 20:59 per game, including regular work on the penalty kill and a stint on the power play. His primary value is on the defensive side of the puck, but he contributes in all areas and may be the NHL's best virtually unknown player.
Chicago Blackhawks: LD Brian Campbell
7 of 30
2015-16 stats: 82 games, six goals, 31 points, plus-5.4 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $1.5 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $2.3 million); final year
Over the last few years, the Chicago Blackhawks have battled against the inevitable downward pull of the salary cap by balancing their key stars with cheap support players and trade-deadline rentals (they only need to pay a fraction of the contracts of the latter). So there are a few contenders on the team.
None stack up to Brian Campbell, though, who was the single-best value signing on July 1 this past summer.
Campbell averaged 22:17 per game in Florida last season as the first-pairing mentor to standout youngster Aaron Ekblad. No longer the flashy, high-risk player of the past, he’s settled in as a smooth and intelligent two-way threat, and he’ll do much to shore up Chicago’s defensive depth.
Best of all, he’ll do it for third-pairing money.
Colorado Avalanche: LD Patrick Wiercioch
8 of 30
2015-16 stats: 56 games, zero goals, five points, plus-1.4 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $800,000 cap hit and salary; final year
There’s no question Patrick Wiercioch is coming off a poor season. But at the tender age of 25, there’s also no reason to think he can’t rebound.
Even at his worst, Wiercioch tends to be an analytics darling. Over his career, the Ottawa Senators have consistently done a better job of out-shooting the opposition when he’s on the ice than they have when he’s off it. Since out-shooting the other team is a key part in out-scoring it, this is an inarguably positive trend, and one that held last season.
At his best, though, Wiercioch is also an offensive presence and a candidate for top-four work. Given that the Avs are only paying him to be a No. 7 defenceman, the team could end up getting an outsized return on a modest investment.
Columbus Blue Jackets: C Sam Gagner
9 of 30
2015-16 stats: 53 games, eight goals, 16 points, plus-0.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $650,000 cap hit and salary; final year
The Columbus Blue Jackets don’t have much in the way of bargain contracts. Despite their poor performance as a team over the last few years, they’re battling the NHL salary cap with a core that’s generally old, expensive and locked in long-term.
Because of all those big contracts, Columbus was limited in terms of what it could do this summer. So the team went bargain shopping and came back with Sam Gagner.
Gagner’s deal is tiny, just a touch north of the league minimum and less than one-seventh of what he made last season. The 27-year-old veteran is coming off a poor season in Philadelphia but is only one year removed from a 41-point campaign. If he gets time on a scoring line, it’s virtually certain he’ll punch above his salary- cap weight class.
Dallas Stars: LW Jamie Benn
10 of 30
2015-16 stats: 82 games, 41 goals, 89 points, plus-0.4 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $5.3 million cap hit ($5.8 million salary); final year
The Dallas Stars have taken some criticism for their goaltending situation, featuring a pair of players who are far too expensive and far too ineffective. Yet, the reason they’ve been able to get away with that tandem is in large part because the team has invested its cap space so cleverly elsewhere.
Young players like Radek Faksa and Mattias Janmark contribute far above their pay grade; so too does veteran Patrick Eaves. Tyler Seguin has three years left on a very team-friendly second contract, while John Klingberg is into year two of a seven-year pact which he promises to dramatically outperform.
Yet it’s Jamie Benn, a franchise talent who scored 41 goals last year, who represents the team’s best value. Player and club alike recognize his importance, which is why the eight-year extension kicks in starting in 2017-18 comes with a cap hit of $9.5 million. When a player’s cap hit virtually doubles, it’s a pretty good indicator he’s being underpaid relative to the market.
Detroit Red Wings: C Dylan Larkin
11 of 30
2015-16 stats: 80 games, 23 goals, 45 points, plus-0.3 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $1.4 million); two years remaining
Dylan Larkin’s superb rookie campaign was perhaps the brightest point in a middling Detroit Red Wings campaign last year, though those who place great value on the franchise’s record-breaking playoff streak may prefer the continuation of that.
Regardless, Larkin was a revelation and offered hope that Detroit will be able to compete in a post-Pavel Datsyuk world. He tied for third on the team in scoring and demonstrated the kind of two-way acumen that’s rarely seen in such a young player.
He’ll be an integral part of the Red Wings' attack next season, and thanks to his entry-level deal, he's an inexpensive part.
Edmonton Oilers: C Connor McDavid
12 of 30
2015-16 stats: 45 games, 16 goals, 48 points, +6.9 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $3.8 million); two years remaining
With all due respect to Brandon Davidson, who else could we possibly pick for the Oilers?
Connor McDavid, as a rookie, was the team’s best player and franchise cornerstone. His injury midway through the year was devastating to the team. He’s already an elite talent—a terrifying offensive player and a shockingly committed defensive presence.
Once his entry-level deal ends, he’s going to be basically able to name his price in contract negotiations.
Florida Panthers: RD Aaron Ekblad
13 of 30
2015-16 stats: 78 games, 15 goals, 36 points, plus-3.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $3.8 million); final year
The Florida Panthers have taken care this summer to lock up as many members of their young core long term as possible. Aaron Ekblad is no exception, agreeing to an eight-year extension with an annual cap hit of $7.5 million that kicks in next summer.
The hefty price tag on his next deal underscores what a bargain he is in the present.
To be sure, Ekblad owes much to departed partner Brian Campbell, who provided stability as the 2014 first overall pick began his NHL career. But Ekblad has proved himself a remarkably quick study, forming one-half or Florida’s top defence pairing and contributing 15 goals to the cause last season.
Los Angeles Kings: LD Jake Muzzin
14 of 30
2015-16 stats: 82 games, eight goals, 40 points, plus-2.0 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $4.0 million cap hit and salary; four years remaining
Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi has at times been criticized for his willingness to offer money and term to even lesser players from the Kings’ Stanley Cup wins. Despite this perhaps overly loyal approach to contract talks, he’s managed to add several bargains to L.A.’s books.
Teddy Purcell, signed to a one-year deal this summer, is one such player. Tanner Pearson, not yet 25, is another. These are supporting pieces, though, and neither is nearly as important to Los Angeles as top-pair defenceman Jake Muzzin.
It’s easy to overlook Muzzin entirely in favour of teammate Drew Doughty, but it’s also a mistake to do so. Last season Muzzin spent the majority of the year away from his more famous cohort and still played extremely well, putting the lie to the notion that he’s merely a complementary partner to a Norris Trophy winner. His ability to anchor a pairing himself is a pivotal to the Kings’ postseason hopes.
Minnesota Wild: C Eric Staal
15 of 30
2015-16 stats: 83 games, 13 goals, 39 points, plus-6.1 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $3.5 million cap hit and salary; three years remaining
This decision came down to a contest between Nino Niederreiter and Eric Staal. Niederreiter is virtually certain to be worth more to the Minnesota Wild than his $2.67 million cap hit, but Staal has home run potential.
It’s not hard to see why Staal was willing to accept Minnesota’s modest contract offer this summer. The Wild offer him a chance to bounce back from a bad campaign and to recover from a season that was plagued by a low shooting percentage and underwhelming scoring totals even prior to his trade to New York.
Staal remains a solid two-way player, and at worst he should at least be the equal of his contract in year one. The potential exists, however, for him to rebound to the point where he’s a key piece of a rekindled Wild attack. If so, he’ll be a bargain.
Montreal Canadiens: C Alex Galchenyuk
16 of 30
2015-16 stats: 82 games, 30 goals, 56 points, plus-3.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $2.8 million cap hit ($3.1 million salary); final year
This is typically the spot where we’d praise Max Pacioretty’s brilliant contract (which still has three seasons to run) and move on, but the picture is less clear-cut this season. The Montreal Canadiens have a number of good value contracts—Nathan Beaulieu is an obvious one, and we also like Zach Redmond and Al Montoya as cheap bets—but in the end we opted for Alex Galchenyuk.
Galchenyuk hit career highs in shots, goals and points last season and also matched his previous career high in assists. He did this while playing a paltry 16:16 per game, as head coach Michel Therrien hemmed and hawed over handing him more responsibility.
After the All-Star break, Galchenyuk was finally given a feature role, and he responded with 28 points in his final 32 games with the Habs. If he can do that again, he’ll be looking at a big raise next summer.
Nashville Predators: RD Ryan Ellis
17 of 30
2015-16 stats: 79 games, 10 goals, 32 points, plus-0.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $2.5 million cap hit and salary; three years remaining
Nashville’s blue line has a bunch of good value contracts. Roman Josi’s cap hit is a modest $4.0 million for four more seasons, while Matthew Carle and Yannick Weber were both nice, cheap bets made in free agency that could pay dividends.
The choice between Josi and Ryan Ellis for the spotlight here was basically a coin toss, and there will be readers who, with some justification, feel we went the wrong way. But Ellis is an excellent and underrated player in his own right—one whose presence on the Nashville Predators roster made the Seth Jones trade possible.
After the Jones trade, Ellis took on increased defensive responsibility, starting more shifts in the defensive zone than at any time in his career. He also saw his ice-time spike, climbing to more than 22 minutes per game after the All-Star break. He managed to score a career-high 10 goals, becoming one of fewer than 30 NHL defencemen to hit that plateau.
New Jersey Devils: RD Damon Severson
18 of 30
2015-16 stats: 72 games, one goal, 21 points, plus-2.7 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $605,833 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $832,500); final year
A year ago, New Jersey was the place to be for bargain contracts, with players like Lee Stempniak, Kyle Palmieri and David Schlemko dramatically outperforming their respective deals. Two of the three are gone, and the other got a big raise, but as Damon Severson shows, there’s still value to be found in the swamp.
With the Adam Larsson trade, Severson inherits the top right-side job on the Devils’ blue line. Ben Lovejoy may end up pairing with Andy Greene for the most part, but it will be Severson who is counted on as a two-way, all-situations rearguard.
He should be up to the challenge. Not only is he offensively gifted, but over his brief career, the Devils have also fared markedly better on the shot clock with him on the ice than on the bench.
New York Islanders: C John Tavares
19 of 30
2015-16 stats: 78 games, 33 goals, 70 points, plus-3.3 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $5.5 million cap hit ($6.0 million salary); two years remaining
There are several good deals in New York’s books. Thomas Greiss, who so brilliantly took over the starting goaltender gig last season, is paid just $1.5 million. Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau is in the same range, at $1.25 million, and is an excellent bet to have a big year.
And yet John Tavares continues to deserve the nod here. As a thought experiment, imagine what he’d be paid if he were an unrestricted free agent this past July 1. Teams would be breaking down his agent’s door for the opportunity to shower money on the cornerstone centre.
New York Rangers: C Mika Zibanejad
20 of 30
2015-16 stats: 81 games, 21 goals, 51 points, plus-2.1 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $2.6 million cap hit ($3.3 million salary); final year
The Derick Brassard-for-Mika Zibanejad trade is an easy one to love from a Rangers perspective, because New York moved out an older, more expensive player for a younger, cheaper one with similar offensive talent in the here and now.
Now, the Rangers had already paid Brassard’s significant signing bonus, and Zibanejad’s salary exceeds his cap hit, but for a big market team like New York, the salary matters a lot less than cap implications, and from a cap perspective they are undeniably better off next season.
Zibanejad should play key minutes in all situations—including the penalty kill—and top the 50-point mark once again, and that’s not a bad return at all for less than $3.0 million.
Ottawa Senators: RW Mark Stone
21 of 30
2015-16 stats: 75 games, 23 goals, 61 points, plus-6.8 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $3.5 million cap hit ($3.8 million salary); two years remaining
The famously stingy Senators have a few value contracts on the books, but the most obvious ones are those of a pair of forwards: Kyle Turris and Mark Stone. Both are key cogs in Ottawa’s offence, and both have matching $3.5 million cap hits.
So why Stone? While Turris can lay claim to playing the more important centre position, Stone was healthier last year, and his salary is actually a touch less than that of Turris. For Ottawa, a budget team, real dollars matter more than cap hit; so he gets the nod here.
Stone’s also an easy player to like for other reasons. He’s scored 49 goals over the last two seasons, he brings a 6’3”, 205-pound frame to the corners and his team’s shot metrics are consistently brilliant when he’s on the ice.
Philadelphia Flyers: LD Shayne Gostisbehere
22 of 30
2015-16 stats: 64 games, 17 goals, 46 points, minus-0.1 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $925,000 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $1.6 million); final year
Shayne Gostisbehere took the NHL by storm over the back half of last season. Seventeen goals is an exceptional number for a veteran defenceman over a full season, so for him to manage that total in just 60-odd games and as a rookie, naturally he opened some eyes.
He’s still a somewhat one-dimensional player, getting carefully sheltered minutes from head coach Dave Hakstol (he was nearly twice as likely to start a shift in the offensive as defensive zone) and even so the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t exactly dominate the shot clock when he was on the ice. This is to be expected, though; virtually no rookie defenceman gets thrown to the wolves right away and excels.
Gostisbehere will certainly grow as a two-way player, and already he is among the most dynamic scoring defencemen in the game of hockey. Even if he hits all his bonuses, the Flyers have to be thrilled at his production relative to his salary.
Pittsburgh Penguins: G Matthew Murray
23 of 30
2015-16 stats: 13 games, 9-2-1 record, 0.930 save percentage
Contract terms: $620,000 million cap hit (salary potentially as high as $832,500); final year
Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup last season with a lot of value contracts. Nick Bonino was a great one at centre and was the result of a trade that showed general manager Jim Rutherford’s financial savvy. Brian Dumoulin on defence deserves an honourable mention, too.
Yet perhaps the best bargain in the lot was the entry-level deal of the goaltender who would backstop the team to the league title.
Matthew Murray has one year left on that deal, and if as expected he takes over the top job in Pittsburgh, the Pens will have the league's cheapest No. 1 goalie—a player who will earn less than 10 percent the salary of some of his peers.
San Jose Sharks: LD Marc-Edouard Vlasic
24 of 30
2015-16 stats: 67 games, eight goals, 39 points, plus-2.7 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $4.3 million cap hit and salary; two years remaining
Marc-Edouard Vlasic may be the NHL's best shutdown defenceman, and he’s doing it for what most teams pay for an average second-pairing defenceman.
It’s hard to exaggerate the degree to which Vlasic is thrown into the ringer. Not only does he play brutally tough competition, but he’s also his team’s go-to choice whenever there’s a faceoff in the defensive zone. That combination is often kryptonite for even the best defenders, yet Vlasic excels.
St. Louis Blues: RD Colton Parayko
25 of 30
2015-16 stats: 79 games, nine goals, 33 points, plus-4.5 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $858,750 cap hit ($925,000 salary); final year
The St. Louis Blues have been cautious over the years in terms of financial outlays. They have also generally drafted well. As a result they have an enviable collection of bargain deals, including starting goaltender Jake Allen, defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk and forward Robby Fabbri.
Even in this company, Colton Parayko commands attention.
Last season, Parayko proved he was ready to step into a top-four role in the NHL, filling in ably whenever injury created an opportunity. He scored nine goals and almost certainly would have done more if Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo weren’t hogging the power-play time. Yet his primary value is defensive, where he’s incredibly polished at a young age.
Tampa Bay Lightning: LD Victor Hedman
26 of 30
2015-16 stats: 78 games, 10 goals, 47 points, plus-7.0 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $4.0 million cap hit ($4.3 million salary); final year
One of the big moves in a busy summer for Tampa Bay was the club’s decision to extend No. 1 defenceman Victor Hedman. A year before he hit unrestricted free agency, the Swedish rearguard agreed to an eight-year extension with a cap hit just a touch south of $8.0 million.
This is the final season in which his cap hit is barely more than half that figure, and it shows what a bargain he’s been for the Lightning.
The shot metrics tell the story as well as anything. Tampa Bay was worlds better in terms of outshooting the opposition with Hedman on the ice than they were when he was on the bench; it's a particularly impressive feat given the quality of opponents he faces on a nightly basis.
Toronto Maple Leafs: C William Nylander
27 of 30
2015-16 stats: 22 games, six goals, 13 points, plus-2.9 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $894,166 cap hit (salary potentially as high as $1.8 million); two years remaining
Toronto’s best contracts tend to be those of its entry-level players, most notably Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Nikita Zaitsev. Nylander has advantages over the latter two in that he’s already somewhat proven at the NHL level and has a more modest cap hit than the first overall pick.
The Maple Leafs have taken their time with Nylander, and as a result, when he finally made the jump to the majors last season, he was clearly ready to go. He should certainly make the team out of camp this fall and take on a feature offensive role.
Vancouver Canucks: G Jacob Markstrom
28 of 30
2015-16 stats: 33 games, 13-14-4 record, 0.915 save percentage
Contract terms: $1.6 million cap hit and salary; final year
This is the year where it’s reasonable to expect Jacob Markstrom to take over the starting goaltending job in Vancouver.
Clearly that’s what the Vancouver Canucks expect. Markstrom has already been extended beyond the expiration of his current contract. Next summer he’ll start a three-year deal with a $3.7 million cap hit—or more than twice what he’s being paid this season. That’s how much Vancouver values him.
If Markstrom supplants Ryan Miller as expected, he’ll be one of the NHL's cheapest starters.
Washington Capitals: C Evgeny Kuznetsov
29 of 30
2015-16 stats: 82 games, 20 goals, 77 points, plus-4.4 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $3.0 million cap hit ($3.4 million salary); final year
It’s important to mention John Carlson and Brett Connolly off the bat here. The former is an exceptional defenceman on a cheap, long-term deal, while the latter is a very smart short-term gamble on a capable two-way player.
Nevertheless, it’s impossible to look past Evgeny Kuznetsov, whom the Caps are surely wishing was signed long term rather than playing the final year of his ludicrously cheap bridge deal.
Last year Kuznetsov led Washington in scoring. He finished fourth among centres in All-Star voting and also got some votes for the Hart, Selke and Lady Byng awards. This past season was the year he arrived as an impact No. 1 centre, and this will surely be the last year in which he’s paid more like a middle-six forward.
Winnipeg Jets: LW Nikolaj Ehlers
30 of 30
2015-16 stats: 72 games, 15 goals, 38 points, plus-5.2 relative Fenwick
Contract terms: $894,166 cap hit (salary potentially as high as $1.6 million); two years remaining
Even with his impressive Fenwick numbers, Nikolaj Ehlers’ 38-point production may not look at first blush as a real steal at his current salary. Obviously, it’s a good return, but this year there are several players in free agency capable of scoring 40 points who signed cheap deals.
The key point with Ehlers is his home run potential, as indicated by his performance down the stretch.
After the All-Star break, Ehlers scored 16 points in 23 games, nearly equaling the 22 points he’d put up in 49 prior contests. He did this despite a massive drop in shooting percentage (from 10.0 to 6.4 percent); if not for that collapse, he’d have been close to the point-per-game mark late in the season.
Ehlers is primed for a breakthrough season. If he realizes that potential, he’ll be one of the best bargains in the NHL both this coming season and the year after.
Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and Behind the Net. All salary information via General Fanager.
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