Bargain Barrel: The 6 NHL Players Worth More Than Their Price Tags

With all of the money being thrown around this offseason, it is time now to look at some of the best bargain deals in the NHL today. These players have proven by their previous successful campaigns that their value on the open market far exceeds their weekly paycheck. 

Each team needs these players in order to fill out their rosters but still remain cap friendly for future contracts, trades, etc. These six players are some of the best "bang for your buck" skaters in the NHL today.

Several names on this list will also be skating even harder to earn their much-deserved raises for the season after this one. Keep in mind that I included no rookie or starter contracts because those are almost standard and unfair to evaluate.

Let's begin.

6. Brendan Morrison: $1.25 Million

Pretty epic picture if I do say so myself.

Morrison is on contract next season for a measly $1.25 million. In today's NHL, that is a sufficient contract for a fourth-line, 15-point player. Morrison, however, will provide much more than fourth-line talent next season.

Last season, Morrison was tied for fifth in Flames' scoring with 43 points in 66 games. Morrison only averaged 16 minutes a game and still managed to be a force to be reckoned with in the lineup. He also provides veteran leadership, even though that seems to be abundant on the Flames' roster.

Open Market Value: $2.55 million

5. Mikhail Grabovski: $2.9 Million

Although a much higher cap hit than the previous slide, Grabovski is a potent force in Toronto, especially because of his relatively low salary.

Posting an impressive 58 points and a just as impressive plus-14 on a losing Maple Leafs team is quite an accomplishment for only $2.9 million.

Did I mention that Grabovski is getting paid less than seven other forwards on the Toronto club? His playing abilities would command a much higher salary during free agency.

Open Market Value: $4.10 Million 

4. Cal Clutterbuck: $1.4 Million

Clutterbuck does what most hockey players are instructed to do at a young age: "Hit somebody!" Clutterbuck led the league in hits last season by registering 336.

Although $1.4 million is a normal amount for a typical hockey bruiser/enforcer, Clutterbuck proved this season that he has a lot more to him than just his affinity for making the big checks.Registering 34 points in 79 games last season, Clutterbuck showed how versatile he can be when given some playing time.

Look for his value to increase next season with every bone-crushing hit he delivers and with every point he scores this season.

Open Market Value: $2.4 Million 

3. Antti Niemi: $3.8 Million

Considering Niemi already has a Stanley Cup ring and put up impressive numbers this past season, it is a little bit of a wonder that he is only earning $3.8 million.

Although that amount is not chump change by any means, Niemi posted much more impressive numbers than a lot of other goaltenders earning fatter paychecks this season. He posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA coupled with 35 wins, three less than the league-leading 38. 

Seeing how he had almost identical numbers to Marc-Andre Fleury, let's put his open market value at the same level.

Open Market Value: $5 Million

2. Loui Eriksson: $4.25 Million

Loui Eriksson has the highest cap hit out of anyone on this list, but still doesn't even crack the Top 50 in terms of forward salaries. Eriksson was tied for 15th in scoring last season, putting up a very impressive 73 points in 79 games. 

Dallas was extremely smart by locking him up for another five years at the same salary. Look for him to continue increasing his point totals over the next few seasons.

Also, did anyone notice that James Van Riemsdyk was locked up for the exact same salary as Eriksson for six more years? It appears as if Philly took a page out of the Dallas playbook, gambling on the improvement of JVR in the next few years.

For Dallas, it worked out beautifully. 

Open Market Value: $5.9 Million 

1. Pekka Rinne: $3.4 Million

Pekka Rinne earned a Vezina Trophy nomination by nudging himself among elite goaltenders such as Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas.

Rinne and the outstanding Nashville defense posted a 2.12 GAA, third best among all goaltenders. He also registered a .930 save percentage, second to the outstanding Tim Thomas.

The biggest surprise is his paycheck. At $3.4 million, Rinne is earning far less than most starting goaltenders, not to mention Vezina candidates.

If Rinne continues on this pace, which seems more than possible, he will earn a very large raise to put him in with the elite crowd of goaltenders. For now, Nashville is getting an elite goaltender at one of the cheapest prices around.

Open Market Value: $6 Million