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

In the NHL, you tend to hear more about the bad contracts than the good ones. Here’s a look at the best deal on each team heading into the 2019 season.

It’s summer, which means it’s that time of the year when NHL general managers give out huge deals, most of which they will regret within a few years. However, what about the good contracts? General Managers get insulted for their bad deals, but rarely complimented for their best ones.

After analyzing each of the 31 rosters around the league, we’ve picked out the best deal for each team. We considered factors such as age, value, term, and player trajectory. Since entry-level contracts are, by definition, value contracts, we excluded them. Also, only deals that are effective as of the 2019-20 season were considered.

We’ll go through this list alphabetically, so let’s start with the Anaheim Ducks. All contract data is courtesy of CapFriendly. Stats are courtesy of Hockey Reference, Natural Stat Trick, and Evolving Hockey.

Anaheim Ducks – John Gibson

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Contract: $6.4 million cap hit over the next eight years

The Anaheim Ducks have some bad contracts, but John Gibson’s is one of the better value deals in the NHL. He had a down year last year, finishing with a .917 save percentage, which is his lowest since the 2014-15 season. That said, the Ducks left him hanging for most of the year. When Gibson is on his game, very few, if any, goaltenders are better than him.

Honorable mentions: Rickard Rakell had a down year, but at under $4 million a year for the next three years, he’s still a good bargain.

Hampus Lindholm ($5.205 million over the next three years) is a top pairing defenseman. Judging by the going rate for those these days, his deal looks better every day.

Ondrej Kase ($2.6 million over the next two years) is quietly one of the best deals in the NHL. He could be on this list next year. Despite only playing in 30 games, Kase had the third-highest WAR in the Ducks, according to Evolving Hockey.

Arizona Coyotes – Antti Raanta

Contract: $4.25 million over the next two years

The Arizona Coyotes are an interesting team as far as contracts are concerned. They have just 14 players signed for the 2020-21 season and merely six signed for the 2021-22 season.

Antti Raanta had a lost season thanks to injuries. He got off to a slow start in November after a great start in October, posting a .907 save percentage in 12 games overall. Injuries didn’t give him a chance to bounce back.

Raanta is the 23rd highest paid goalie in the NHL. He has performed at a rate much better than that. Over the past three seasons, no goaltender with at least 2,000 minutes of playing time has a higher GSAA/60 (goals saved above average per hour) rate than Raanta’s 0.39.

He performs like a franchise goaltender and gets paid like he’s a lower-tier starter. That’s an outstanding bargain.

Of the goaltenders in the top 10 in GSAA/60 over the past three seasons, only two (John Gibson and Juuse Saros) have a higher expected goals against per hour rate than him. Raanta has struggled to stay healthy, but when he’s on the ice, he’s one of the best goaltenders in the NHL.

Honorable mentions: The Coyotes are only responsible for $6.8 million of Phil Kessel’s cap hit for the next three years. $6.8 million for a player as talented as Kessel is highway robbery.

Nick Schmaltz’s deal ($5.85 million cap hit for the next seven seasons) could wind up being a nice bargain down the road.

Boston Bruins – David Pastrnak

Contract: $6.66666 million cap hit over the next four seasons

The Boston Bruins have three of the best bargain deals in the NHL. All of them play on the top forward line. You could make a strong case for Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. However, given David Pastrnak’s age and likely career trajectory, he gets the nod.

Pastrnak has the 11th-highest cap hit among right wings. He finished the 2018-19 season with 1.23 points per game, which was third among right wings. Only Nikita Kucherov (who won the Art Ross Trophy) and Patrick Kane boasted a better rate.

Even if you strictly look at points, Pastrnak finished seventh among right wings with 81 points in 66 games. He was the only player in the top 20 who played less than 70 games. Pastrnak finished 15th among all forwards in WAR (3.1), according to Evolving Hockey. Most of those who were above him are centers.

It’s worth noting Pastrnak has helped Bergeron and Marchand take their games to the next level. Before, they excelled defensively but struggled to produce at an elite rate (though they were both still among the best in the league). Under Pastrnak, both Bergeron and Marchand have seen their numbers increase.

Even when he’s off his game (as he was for most of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs), he has the ability to change games with just one shift. Pastrnak drove Bruins fans insane with his inconsistency in the postseason, yet he still finished with 19 points in 24 games.

Honorable mention: It’s very easy to be overlooked when Zdeno Chara is on your team and plays the same position as you. But dang, Torrey Krug has given the Bruins some very good value with a $5.25 million cap hit. With one year left on his deal, his next contract could be a costly one, but you can’t argue he hasn’t earned it.

Buffalo Sabres – Jack Eichel

Contract: $10 million cap hit over the next seven years

If you thought the Coyotes were an interesting team, the Buffalo Sabres put them to shame. They have a whopping eight players signed for the 2020-21 season and just five for the 2021-22 season. This narrows down the candidates quite a bit. The obvious pick is team captain Jack Eichel, who is just 22 years old.

Jeff Skinner deserves an honorable mention, but he has a long-term deal that pays him $9 million a year well into his 30s. For now, it’s a perfectly fine contract. But understandably, I was a bit reluctant to call his deal the best on the team.

Eichel posted a 2.1 WAR last season, second on the Sabres behind Skinner. It’s worth noting Eichel helped Skinner have one of the best seasons of his career. The Sabres captain has seen his numbers improve in each NHL season.

Last season, Eichel averaged over a point per game for the first time in his career after coming up short the last two seasons by a combined total of seven points. His 28 goals, 54 assists, and 82 points were each career-highs.

Eichel’s best years are ahead of him. Though he currently has the fourth-highest cap hit among centers, the Sabres captain is worth every penny that he is being paid.

Calgary Flames – Mark Giordano

Contract: $6.75 million cap hit over the next three years

The Calgary Flames have two star players with identical $6.75 million cap hits – Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano. Gaudreau is 24 years old while Giordano is 35. Now, 99 times out of 100, I’d say the younger player has the better deal. This is that one time out of 100 the older player has the better deal.

Giordano has aged like fine wine. Most players his age are trending downwards, or declining. Giordano is the exception to that rule. In fact, he just won his first Norris Trophy. Giordano had 77 points combined during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Pretty good for a defenseman, but still, people thought he might be declining.

They couldn’t have been more wrong. Giordano had his best season in 2018-19, posting a career-high 57 assists and 74 points. His 17 goals were the second-highest single season total of his career, trailing only his 21 goals during the 2016-17 season.

How is Giordano doing this? Well, he doesn’t have nearly as many miles on his skates as other players his age. Giordano didn’t stick full-time in the NHL until the 2008-09 season and didn’t play over 60 games until the 2009-10 season, when he was 26 years old.

He’s already providing surplus value to his contract and his deal is only halfway over. The Flames bet on Giordano aging well. And, though he turns 36 in October, it looks like it was a very wise bet. Giordano is showing no signs of slowing down.

Carolina Hurricanes – Sebastian Aho

Contract: $8.454 million cap hit over the next five years

The Carolina Hurricanes weren’t looking forward to negotiating a new deal with Sebastian Aho. Staying true to their usual strategy, they tried to sign him to a long-term deal before the 2018-19 season, Aho’s last season under his entry-level contract. He bet on himself and it paid off, as he had the best season of his career.

Aho noticed what Auston Matthews did, signing a five-year deal. So he wanted one himself. The Hurricanes wanted to sign him long-term, which led to a tiny stalemate. This stalemate was broken up by the Montreal Canadiens, who signed Aho to a five-year offer sheet worth $8.454 million annually. Most of that money, by the way, is guaranteed thanks to signing bonuses.

I’d love to know the Hurricanes reaction when they saw the offer sheet details. There were probably some sighs of relief because the Canadiens gave Aho an offer sheet that was far below market value.

At 21 years old, Aho’s best years are still ahead of him. Sure, he’ll be a free agent in five years. But Aho really wanted to hit the free agent market in five years. Maybe he’s ahead of the game and he’ll inspire even more RFAs to seek out deals that set them up to hit the UFA market early.

As far the Canadiens? Maybe this is why general managers don’t sign anyone to offer sheets. They simply don’t know how to do it.

Honorable mention: The Hurricanes have several deals that would probably be the best deal on a number of other teams. Jaccob Slavin is a steal at just $5.3 million per year for the next six seasons. That’s comical for a top-notch first-pairing defenseman.

Teuvo Teravainen is worth way more than the $5.4 million cap hit he has over the next five years. At $4.025 million over the next five years, Brett Pesce’s got a low-key great deal as well.

Chicago Blackhawks – Patrick Kane

Contract: $10.5 million cap hit over the next four years.

The Chicago Blackhawks are riddled with long-term deals to older players and entry-level deals. General Manager Stan Bowman has made a lot of questionable moves recently. Locking up Patrick Kane wasn’t one of them.

His contract went into effect at the start of the 2015-16 season. Since the start of his contract, nobody has more points than Kane (381). Only Alex Ovechkin (183) has more goals than Patrick’s 151. Connor McDavid (244) and Blake Wheeler (239) are the only ones with more assists than Kane’s 230.

It’s very hard to live up to a deal with a $10.5 million cap hit. The expectations are massive. But it’s hard to argue Kane hasn’t matched them. Heck, he’s probably exceeded them. Kane’s three most productive seasons (2018-19, 2015-16, and 2016-17) have all come during his current deal, which runs until he turns 35 years old.

The Blackhawks have many problems. Brent Seabrook’s contract is one of them. Bowman’s inability to consistently win trades is another. Being stuck in a high-pressure market where you need to rebuild, but must contend, has played a role in the Blackhawks decline.

However, Kane is not a part of the problem. He’s been an extremely consistent and dangerous threat on offense and should continue to be one for a good portion of the rest of his contract.

Honorable mentions: Robin Lehner at $5 million, even if it’s only for one year, is a very solid bargain. Jonathan Toews has become so overrated, he’s probably underrated. So I’ll throw his contract (same as Kane’s) some love.

Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon

Contract: $6.3 million cap hit over the next four years

There might not be a better bargain in the NHL than Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon. To be fair, his deal started in 2016, one season before he had one of the most unexpected breakout seasons in recent memory. Having an MVP contender on a cap hit as low as MacKinnon’s could be the best bargain America has seen since the Louisiana Purchase.

Over the past two seasons, he has 196 combined points during the regular season, plus an additional 19 points in the postseason. Let’s take a look at how many players have more than 196 points over the past two seasons.

• Nikita Kucherov (228)
• Connor McDavid (224)

Those are the past two scoring champions. The Avalanche ride and die on the saddle of MacKinnon. He hasn’t let them down the past two seasons.

Honorable mentions: Nazem Kadri’s $4.5 million cap hit over the next three seasons is about as good of a non-entry-level deal as you’re going to see from a second-line caliber center. Gabriel Landeskog’s deal, much like MacKinnon, didn’t start off on the right foot. But over the past two seasons, he has outproduced his cap hit, which is a shade over $5.5 million.

Philipp Gruabuer’s deal ($3.333333 million over the next two seasons) could be a huge bargain by the end of next season if he finally grabs the reigns of the starting goalie position. Mikko Rantanen could sign a bargain deal, but the RFA market is weird and out of sorts right now, so it’s anyone’s guess what kind of deal he signs. It won’t be as good of a bargain as MacKinnon’s, though.

Columbus Blue Jackets – Seth Jones

Contract: $5.4 million cap hit over the next three seasons

For most teams, I had to at least check CapFriendly to be sure of who had the best deal on each team. I didn’t even need to for a few teams. The Columbus Blue Jackets were one of them. Defenseman Seth Jones is such a huge bargain I didn’t even need to look at the other deals on the team to know his deal was the best one on the Blue Jackets.

Jones is among the best defensemen in the NHL. With the price for a top pairing defenseman significantly rising, his deal is suddenly one of the best around. Jones has the 33rd highest cap hit among defensemen.

If you prefer cap hit percentage, his is the 35th highest among defensemen. How many defensemen are better than Jones? Whatever the answer is, it’s a lot smaller than 33 or 35. Since the start of his contract (2016-17), only 12 defensemen have more points than him. Only 10 have a higher points per game rate than Jones during the same span (minimum 200 games played).

It cost the Blue Jackets Ryan Johansen to get Jones. That’s a hefty price. But it was well worth it for the Blue Jackets.

Honorable mentions: Let me give some love to David Savard. He’s an underrated defenseman who, at just $4.25 million a season, is a nice bargain. Josh Anderson’s $1.85 million cap hit is a great one as well.

Dallas Stars – John Klingberg

Contract: $4.25 million cap hit over the next three seasons

A few years ago, I made the bold declaration that Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg would win a Norris Trophy. I’m probably going to wind up being wrong, but that doesn’t mean his deal isn’t a huge bargain.

The Stars gave Klingberg a long-term commitment after a very impressive rookie season in 2014-15. He put up 40 points in 65 games and barely cracked the top five of the Calder Trophy voting (that rookie class was pretty awesome).

Dallas bet on Klingberg continuing to develop into one of the best defensemen in the NHL. He’s likely succeeded every Stars fans’ best-case scenario for him when he signed the deal. Klingberg is one of the NHL’s most dynamic defensemen. He has never averaged below 0.60 points per game in any NHL season.

Klingberg will be 27 years old when the 2019-20 season starts. He has had some issues staying healthy, but it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been a huge bargain for the Stars. There’s no reason for me to believe Klingberg won’t continue to be one until his deal is up.

Honorable mentions: Joe Pavelski’s contract ($7 million cap hit over the next three seasons) isn’t a bargain, but props to the Stars for not signing him to a jaw-droppingly bad deal. Alexander Radulov is quietly a solid bargain at just $6.25 million a year.

Detroit Red Wings – Dylan Larkin

Contract: $6.1 million cap hit over the next four seasons

The Detroit Red Wings are littered with bad contracts. Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Frans Nielsen, and Jonathan Ericcson are just a few of them. However, Dylan Larkin gives them a ton of value at $6.1 million.

Larkin decided to sign a deal that would allow him to hit free agency early. And he will do that after the 2023-24 season. A strong 2017-18 season allowed him to sign a long-term deal during the 2018 offseason.

He rewarded the Red Wings for their faith in him with his best season as a pro. Larkin picked up 41 assists while setting career highs with 32 goals and 73 points. At 22 years old, his best years are ahead of him. The Red Wings have yet to name a new captain, but it could be Larkin. He’s a franchise center and he’s an important building block as Detroit faces what could be a long rebuild.

Honorable mentions: Andreas Athanasiou ($3 million for one more year) has the highest WAR on the Red Wings over the past two seasons. He got his first 30 goal season during the 2018-19 season, finally delivering on his massive potential. At $1.4 million, Tyler Bertuzzi is a very good bargain.

Edmonton Oilers – Connor McDavid

Contract: $12.5 million cap hit over the next seven years

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid has the highest cap hit in the NHL. Because front offices are still trying to figure out what “cap hit percentage’ is, he’ll likely remain on that throne for a while. Good luck convincing anyone you’re worth a larger cap hit than the NHL’s best player.

Yet McDavid is still a huge bargain. He was paid to be the NHL’s best player, and guess what? McDavid is the league’s best player. He has seen his point total increase in each of his seasons. McDavid has three straight 100 point seasons. Alex Ovechkin is the only other player who has done that in the salary cap era. You know you’re doing well when you do something and he’s the only other guy who has done it.

The scary part is McDavid could get even better. I’m not sure he’s going to improve from a 116 point season, but I’m looking forward to watching him try to prove me wrong. He probably will. McDavid is worth every ounce of hype he has gotten. If anything, he wasn’t hyped enough.

Honorable mention: A lot of people think Leon Draisaitl ($8.5 million cap hit over the next six years) has a decent bargain contract. However, he doesn’t do well when he’s away from McDavid. So I’m reluctant to say that he has a bargain contract. If you’re getting paid $8.5 million a year, you probably shouldn’t need to be playing next to McDavid to succeed.

Oscar Klefbom ($4.167 million cap hit) has a nice bargain deal thanks to taking a page out of Klinberg’s playbook (signing early).

Florida Panthers – Aleksander Barkov

Contract: $5.9 million cap hit over the next three years

Aleksander Barkov is underrated, so naturally, he has one of the best bargain contracts in the NHL. No matter which metrics you like to use to evaluate players, he probably grades out as a first-line center.

At $5.9 million, he is the 31st highest paid center in the league. By cap hit percentage, he ranks 33rd. With 96 points last season, Barkov ranked sixth among centers. If you want to nitpick, you could probably eliminate Steven Stamkos and Drasaitl as centers and he’d move up to fourth. Barkov also finished ninth in goals and third in assists.

He’s always been one of the best two-way centers in the NHL, as he’s consistently in the Selke Trophy discussion. Barkov’s ability to avoid committing penalties is borderline legendary for someone who plays so many minutes.

On the open market, I’d wager Barkov get a cap hit that is roughly double his current one. He turns 24 in September and his best years could be ahead of him. Other than MacKinnon, Barkov might have the best bargain deal in the NHL.

Honorable mention: I reckon Jonathan Huberdeau’s deal ($5.9 million cap hit over the next four seasons) would be the best bargain deal on no fewer than 15 other teams. Mike Hoffman’s ($5.1875 million with one year left) is a low-key great bargain as well.

Los Angeles Kings – Jack Campbell

Contract: $675,000 cap hit for one more year

There are not too many choices on the Los Angeles Kings. Only nine of their players are signed past the 2019-20 season and only five have deals past the 2020-21 season. Tyler Toffoli is a pretty decent bargain at $4.6 million, but he only has one year left. Anze Kopitar’s deal isn’t going to end well. Backup goaltender Jack Campbell probably has the best deal on the team.

Drew Doughty’s deal is looking bad and it hasn’t even started yet. He had the worst season of his career in 2018-19, as Evolving Hockey had him at -0.1 WAR. That’s below replacement level. I think Doughty will bounce back, but how big will his bounce back be? Doughty has a ton of miles on his legs – only Ryan Suter has played more minutes in the regular season than him since the start of the 2008-09 season. He’s added over 2,000 extra minutes in the postseason.

Campbell has played in 37 games over the past two seasons. He posted a .924 save percentage in five games during the 2017-18 season. During the 2018-19 season, Campbell posted a .928 save percentage in 32 games. He significantly outperformed starting goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Honorable mentions: Alec Martinez’s deal ($4 million with one year left) isn’t too shabby. Kopitar is still worth his $10 million cap hit, but yikes, that deal is ugly. Toffoli’s deal is nice, but he’s probably going to be traded.

Minnesota Wild – Jared Spurgeon

Contract: $5.187 million cap hit for one more year

The Minnesota Wild are famous for handing out the infamous twin contracts to Ryan Suter and Zach Parise – each of them worth $98 million over 13 years. Despite what many people think, those contracts actually aren’t that bad – at least not yet. Their best contract, though, belongs to defenseman Jared Spurgeon.

At $5.187 million a year, he gives the Wild some nice value. He’s Suter’s most common partner on the top pairing. Together, they form one of the league’s most consistent and dominant duos.

Now, with one year left on his deal, Spurgeon, who turns 30 in November, probably won’t be getting a bargain deal with his next contract. But this one has been a huge victory for the Wild, who have gotten some extremely good years from Spurgeon.

Honorable mentions: If the Wild are smart and don’t trade Jason Zucker, he’s worth more than $5.5 million a year. Even during his down years. Eric Staal’s previous deal was a good bargain. His current one ($3.25 million cap hit for the next two years) is darn good as well. At $6 million, Matt Dumba’s is a steal as well. With four years left on his deal, if the Wild don’t re-sign Spurgeon, he could be his replacement.

Montreal Canadiens – Brendan Gallagher

Contract: $3.75 million cap hit over the next two seasons

For a while, this honor belonged to Max Pacioretty. But now the torch has been passed onto Brendan Gallagher, who is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. After a rough 2016-17 season, he has turned his career around, having the two best seasons of his career since then.

Gallagher has at least 30 goals in each of his past two seasons, scoring 31 goals in 2017-18 and 33 goals in 2018-19. Over the past two seasons, he has 106 points. Gallagher has the 49th highest cap hit among right wings, yet finished tied for eight in goals with 33. He had as many goals as Mark Stone and Vladimir Tarasenko, both of whom make well over double his cap hit.

Furthermore, according to Evolving Hockey, his 3.1 WAR over the past two seasons is the highest among all Canadiens. Gallagher has had to work hard to get to where he is today. And his contract is easily one of the best bargains in the NHL.

Honorable mentions: At $1.85 million over the next three seasons, Brett Kulak quietly has a really great bargain contract. So does Jeff Petry, at $5.5 million annually for the next two years. Max Domi’s deal is a decent bargain at $3.15 million, though he only has one year left on it.

Nashville Predators – Mattias Ekholm

Contract: $3.75 million cap hit over the next three years

This one was tough. It ultimately came down to Mattias Ekholm and Viktor Arvidsson. The latter has the better deal long-term, as he has just a $4.25 million cap hit and is under contract for the next five years. For a goal scorer as good as Arvidsson, that’s a huge steal. However, right now, it’s still Ekholm.

According to Evolving Hockey, Ekholm has been the more valuable player over the past two seasons. Arvidsson’s deal started in the 2017-18 season, so we’ll use that. Ekholm has a 5.1 WAR during that time while Arvidsson has a 2.1 WAR.

As great as Arvy is, his goal scoring is by far his best talent. It’s also the only thing he’s truly great at. Ekholm, though, has a terrific overall game. Whoever he is paired with winds up being the Predators shutdown pairing.

You could make the case that Ekholm has the best deal in the NHL. He’s a legitimate top pairing caliber defenseman who makes under $4 million a year. General Manager David Poile has signed so many great deals, but Ekholm might be his best one yet.

Honorable mentions: As mentioned earlier, Arvidsson is absolutely in the conversation. So is Filip Forsberg. Roman Josi is as well.

New Jersey Devils – Taylor Hall

Contract: $6 million cap hit for one more year

The New Jersey Devils have a plethora of young players, so a good portion of their best players are still on the ELCs. 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, though, is by far the best bargain on the team. Even if you cheat by include ELCs.

Anytime you can get a Hart Trophy winner at a $6 million cap hit, that’s an outright steal. Hall has been terrific for the Devils with 183 points in his first 181 regular season games with them. Entering the 2019-20 season, he has averaged1.01 points per game with New Jersey. That’s the highest rate in franchise history.

Hall has a $6 million cap hit, which is tied for the 14th-highest cap hit among left wings. His cap hit percentage, though, is seventh. There aren’t 13 left wings better than Hall, let alone six. Last season was cut short for him thanks to injuries, but he still has 130 points in his last 109 regular season games.

Honorable mentions: Defenseman Damon Severson ($4.166666 million cap hit over the next three years) quietly has an excellent bargain contract. That’s a cheap price to pay for a borderline top pairing defenseman. At $4.65 million a year, Kyle Palmieri has an excellent bargain deal as well.

New York Islanders – Ryan Pulock

Contract: $2 million cap hit for one more year

The New York Islanders have extended most of their best players. Since the start of 2017, they handed out long-term contracts to Josh Bailey, Anders Lee, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson. However, the best contract on the team belongs to defenseman Ryan Pulock.

Pulock has always had a lot of potential. He delivered on it during the 2018-19 season. No Islanders defenseman played more minutes per game than him, as Pulock averaged over 22 minutes per game. In the postseason, he averaged 23:17 per game. Pulock also led the Islanders in five-on-five ice time per game (18:42).

With 37 points, he led all Isles defensemen in points and finished fifth overall on the team. The Islanders defense led them to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Pulock was their best defenseman. He’s up for a new deal next year and he deserves a pretty significant pay raise.

Honorable mentions: Bailey’s deal ($5 million cap hit) is underrated. He’s a very good player on a good deal. Had Lee left in free agency, he probably would have been their next captain. Devon Toews ($700,000 cap hit) technically isn’t on his ELC. He did a terrific job last year, albeit in a limited sample size and in sheltered minutes. Toews is why the Islanders feel comfortable shopping Nick Leddy around.

New York Rangers – Mika Zibanejad

Contract: $5.35 million cap hit over the next three seasons

I’m not a fan of no movement clauses unless they are used to drive down the price of a great player. That’s the case with New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad. He’s only 26 years old and he’ll be 29 years old when his current contract is up. Unlike most players who get NMCs, Zibanejad projects to continue to be a great player throughout his current contract.

The Rangers took a gamble when they traded Derek Stepan. They did it because they felt that Zibanejad could take the next step and replace him. That’s precisely what he has done. Since signing the deal in the 2017 offseason, Zibanejad has 121 points in 155 games.

Last season, he had the best season of his career, posting career highs with 30 goals, 44 assists, and 74 points. The Rangers are ready to win now after acquiring Jacob Trouba, drafting Kaapo Kakko, and signing Artemi Panarin. Zibanejad is going to be a huge part of their team.

Honorable mentions: I don’t care what anyone thinks about the Panarin contract ($11.642857 cap hit over the next seven years). That’s extremely reasonable for a wing who impacts the game as much as he can. At $4.625 million, Chris Kreider has a darn good deal, though he has just one year left on it.

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.

Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby

Contract: $8.7 million cap hit over the next six years

Sidney Crosby’s prime is over, but he’s still one of the best players in the NHL. His decline has barely been noticeable. Crosby’s physical skills aren’t quite what they used to be, but that’s expected. His hockey IQ, though, is one of the highest in league history. Crosby’s an extremely smart player, which should allow him to age gracefully.

Most of the long-term deals before the 2013 lockout aren’t going to be remembered positively. Crosby’s deal is one of the few that you could argue wound up being a bargain. Now, to be fair, Crosby signed his deal when his future was still a bit uncertain thanks to concussion issues.

And, at the time he signed his deal, his cap hit percentage was the third highest of the salary cap era. Still, Crosby’s an annual Hart Trophy candidate and he remains in the discussion for being the best player in the NHL. I’ll believe Sid The Kid is declining when I see it. And then I probably still won’t believe it. Crosby adapts to the game, which is how he has been able to sustain greatness for such a long period of time.

Honorable mentions: Crosby is the easy answer. However, you could probably make a good case for Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. Evgeni Malkin’s in the conversation as well. Jake Guentzel’s deal is a steal. He might be the best wing Crosby’s ever had in the NHL.

San Jose Sharks – Kevin Labanc

Contract: $1 million cap hit for one more year

It’s baffling how Kevin Labanc didn’t get more than $1 million a year from the San Jose Sharks. He was one of their best players last season, picking up 56 points. During the postseason, Labanc added nine points in 20 games.

I’m willing to bet nobody on a post-ELC deal will provide better value in terms of dollars per point than him. Labanc has a nice impact on possession as well, even on a team who is built around possession. How a guy who has two straight seasons with at least 40 points only got $1 million is beyond me.

Labanc is the ultimate team player. He took a discount to make sure the Sharks will contend for a Stanley Cup again. Yes, Labanc will probably cash in big time after next season, especially if he continues to improve. But if the Sharks win the Stanley Cup, don’t forget his sacrifice.

Honorable mentions: Timo Meier ($6 million cap hit over the next four years) is going to be a huge steal. If Labanc didn’t sign his comically cheap deal, he’d have been my choice. Getting a forward who can impact the game at five-on-five on offense as much as Meier can for under $7 million is a terrific bargain.

St. Louis Blues – Colton Parayko

Contract: $5.5 million cap hit over three years

The St. Louis Blues have four players who I deeply considered – Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, and Colton Parayko. Each of those guys provided a ton of value during the regular season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. My pick is Parayko.

Over the past two seasons, let’s compare the WAR for each player.

• O’Reilly – 5.1
• Parayko – 4.7
• Tarasenko – 4.3
• Pietrangelo – 4.2

So it’s really close between those four guys. But if you’re talking pure value, Parayko’s the right answer. He’s the cheapest of the four players, yet he’s arguably the second-most valuable. You could argue he is the most valuable.

Parayko consistently drives possession on both ends of the ice. Pietrangelo might play more minutes than him, but I’d argue Parayko is the better overall defenseman. According to Puck IQ, no Blues player faced elite competition more often than him. Parayko played most of those minutes with noted possession anchor Jay Bouwmeester.

Honorable mentions: Again, you could make a strong case for O’Reilly, Tarasenko, and Pietrangelo. Both are great players and, despite their high cap hits, are deserving of them. Even after a down year in the regular season, Jaden Schwartz is a terrific leader who I expect to bounce back. He was huge for them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning – Andrei Vasilevskiy

Contract: $3.5 million cap hit for one more season

You could make a strong case for Nikita Kucherov, who is underpaid despite signing a massive long-term deal worth over $9 million per season. However, Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is only getting paid $3.5 million a year. He will cash in big time with his next deal, but for now, he’s a heck of a bargain.

Evolving Hockey has him as the fifth-most valuable goalie, with a 5.2 WAR. Among goalies who faced at least 1,800 unblocked shot attempts, Vasilevskiy had the fifth-best GAA per Fenwick attempt (0.0058).

He had the second-highest GSAA among all goalies in 2018-19, as his 26.35 mark trailed only Ben Bishop’s 32.21 mark. Vasilevskiy has been a Vezina finalist in each of the last two seasons. He’s easily one of the best goalies in the NHL, and he’s doing it on the 26th-highest cap hit among goaltenders.

Honorable mentions: Leave it to Kucherov to earn a deal with a $9.5 million cap hit and still be underpaid. Victor Hedman is one of the best defensemen in the NHL and he’s paid like it ($7.875 million cap hit). Still, with the rising price of defensemen, I could see his deal look like a great bargain in a few years.

Brayden Point hasn’t signed yet, but if history repeats itself, he’ll probably sign some really cheap deal that winds up being a bargain. That’s just the way Tampa does business.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Morgan Rielly

Contract: $5 million cap hit over the next three seasons

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of great contracts. But Morgan Rielly stands out. He’s a legit top pairing defenseman with a $5 million cap hit. That’s a huge steal. Rielly had his best overall season as a pro. According to Evolving Hockey, he had the fourth-highest WAR among defensemen at 3.2.

During the 2018-19 season, he set career highs in several categories. Rielly’s 20 goals, 52 assists, and 72 points were each career highs. To put that in perspective, his previous career high in points was 52.

Rielly is very good at staying out of the penalty box. He only had 14 penalty minutes in over 1,800 minutes during the regular season. Among defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes during all situations, his 0.22 penalties per hour was the ninth-lowest. Rielly doesn’t draw that many penalties, but I’ll let that slide since defensemen rarely do that anyway.

Honorable mentions: Matthews is getting paid over $11 million a year for the next five years. He has trouble staying healthy, but he is indisputably one of the best goal scorers of the salary cap era. I was surprised Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson both got the deals that they got. At $11 million, John Tavares is still a darn good bargain.

Vancouver Canucks – Bo Horvat

Contract: $5.5 million cap hit over the next four years

The Vancouver Canucks are an interesting team. It was harder than I thought it would be to pick out the best contract. Of their top three players, two of them (Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser) are either still on their ELC or unsigned. The third is Bo Horvat.

Now, I think Quinn Hughes will surpass Horvat on this list by the end of the 2019-20 season. But like Pettersson, he’ll be on his ELC. And ELCs are designed to be unfair bargains.

Horvat gives the Canucks a lot of value at $5.5 million annually. He’s their shutdown center, as he played by far the most minutes of any Vancouver skater against elite competition. Horvat made the transition very well and allowed Pettersson and Boeser to feast on lesser competition.

He has at least 40 points in each of his last four seasons despite not having very good linemates. Horvat had a revolving door of wings, with Loui Eriksson (352:49) and Jake Virtanen (275:13) being two of his three most common linemates last season.

Honorable mentions: Technically, Thatcher Demko counts. At $1.05 million annually over the next two years, he could be a terrific bargain. Alex Edler’s contract is pretty reasonable. He’s still a top pairing caliber defenseman.

Vegas Golden Knights – Nate Schmidt

Contract: $5.95 million cap hit over six years

I figured I’d have Mark Stone here. At under $10 million a year, Stone, who should annually be in the Hart Trophy and Selke Trophy discussions, is worth every penny he’s getting paid. Heck, he’s probably a bargain. But then I remembered Nate Schmidt’s deal, which is an even bigger steal.

He’s the Golden Knights top defenseman, as he played the most minutes of any Vegas defensemen against elite competition. Schmidt spent 47.2% of his minutes on the ice against elite competition. With 2.5 WAR, he was the Golden Knights most valuable defensemen during the 2018-19 season despite missing 21 games due to a suspension.

Schmidt’s 0.112 WAR per hour during all situations ranked sixth among all defensemen with at least 1,000 minutes played. He has at least 30 points in each of his last two seasons and he’s still very young at just 28 years old (as of July 16).

Honorable mentions: Stone, as I mentioned earlier, is a star. You pay whatever it takes to get stars. Vegas finally has a true star in Stone. Jonathan Marchessault has an excellent deal as well. So does William Karlsson. Quietly, so does Shea Theodore too.

Washington Capitals – Nicklas Backstrom

Contract: $6.7 million over one year

Alex Ovechkin’s deal is one of the most successful as the asininely long pre-2013 lockout deals. He’s providing surplus value at this point. Ovechkin’s two-way play has gotten worse with age, but he’s still the best in the world at what he does – scoring goals. Even at $9.538 million a year, he’s worth every penny of what he gets paid. That should tell you how great Nicklas Backstrom’s deal is.

Backstrom, much like Ovechkin, signed his deal back when teams were silly with term. He signed a 10-year deal back in 2010. At the time, he had a high cap hit percentage. But the salary cap has risen significantly since then, which has helped Backstrom’s contract age like fine wine.

You can pencil him in for 70 points every season. Backstrom has reached that milestone in each of his last six seasons. He was on pace to reach it during the 2013 lockout-shortened season and the 2011-12 season, which was shortened for him due to injuries.

I’m curious to see what the Capitals do with Backstrom. Obviously, they’re probably going to keep him. If Backstrom wants to stay with the Caps, he’s earned the right to do so. But how much will it take? Backstrom turns 32 in November. The Capitals must decide how long they think he can continue to play at a very high level.

Honorable mentions: Ovechkin’s deal is a bargain. If you think otherwise, you are wrong. A year ago, I would have called you nuts for saying Tom Wilson’s deal was a good one. But a year into it, it’s looking pretty good. You could say the same about John Carlson’s contract.

Jakub Vrana has to sign a cheap deal, so as soon as he signs it, he’ll be in the discussion too.

Winnipeg Jets – Mark Scheifele

Contract: $6.125 million over the next five years

Mark Scheifele is one of the best centers in the NHL. And he has one of the most team-friendly deals in the league as well. Scheifele has emerged as one of the league’s most productive players. He’s averaged at least a point per game over each of his last three seasons.

Last season, Scheifele scored 38 goals, a career high for him. That’s the second time in his career he has reached the 30 goal plateau, as he also reached it during the 2016-17 season. In 27 career postseason games, he has 26 points, including 16 goals. 14 of those goals came back in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as Scheifele helped the Jets to reach the Western Conference Final.

The Jets are going through a bit of a transitional period. They only have 15 players under contract for next season. They’ll have just nine after that, and just five under contract to start the 2021-22 season. So the Jets need guys like Scheifele to continue to shine. At 26 years old, he’s still got a lot of good years ahead of him.

Honorable mentions: Hard to find them on a team with just 15 players signed, but Dustin Byfuglien’s deal ($7.6 million cap hit over the next two seasons) has aged better than many thought it would. He’s still a top pairing defenseman.