Each NHL team’s best contract heading into the 2019-20 season

Ottawa Senators – Dylan DeMelo

Contract: $900,000 cap hit for one more year

The Ottawa Senators don’t have a very good roster. It’s riddled with mediocre players and long-term deals. Only six players are signed past the 2019-20 season. That’s insane. Defenseman Dylan DeMelo, though, is quietly a very good bargain.

According to Evolving Hockey, DeMelo had a 2.0 WAR last season. That ranked fourth on the Senators. The only players with a higher WAR than him? Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Thomas Chabot. DeMelo played just over 17 minutes per game last season at five-on-five and just over 19 overall. Maybe the Senators should play him a bit more.

DeMelo impacts play on the ice even though his point totals (22 points in 77 games) don’t necessarily show it. His underlying numbers were impressive. Among those who played at least 60 games for the Senators last season, only Brady Tkachuk, Colin White, and Thomas Chabot had a higher relative CorsiFor percentage than DeMelo.

He’s a solid top-four defenseman because he impacts possession and isn’t a liability on offense. Whether the Senators trade him at the deadline or re-sign him, they should continue to get a lot of value from him.

Honorable mentions: Chris Tierney ($2.9357 million cap hit) is worth mentioning. Colin White is an RFA, so depending on what his next deal looks like, he could have a nice bargain deal. I like Anthony Duclair at $1.65 million.