Best NHL Contracts 2010

What players had the best bargain contracts in the NHL in the summer of 2010? This list was compiled in 2017 based on their performance during the 2009/10 season. Free agents signed that summer are eligible for next year’s list, so everyone nominated here has played at least 1 full season under the contract.

We are looking for the best bargains, preferably under 10% of the cap (which in 2010 is $56.8M, so under $5.7M Average Annual Value). This is not about listing the 15 best players in the game and then saying those are the 15 best contracts. It’s the 15 best bargains. Entry level contracts don’t count, since they all come from a cookie cutter and require no specific bargaining skill. There is a preference for contracts with more than 1 year remaining, except in the case of extreme bargains.

1) Mike Green, WSH, 2 more yrs @ $5.2M AAV: He scored 76 PTS from the blueline playing 25.5 minutes per game with a +39, leading all defensemen in scoring.

2) Corey Perry, ANA, 3 more yrs @ $5.3M AAV: He also had 76 PTS while taking 270 shots on net. He’s just 24 years old and has a bright future.

3) Zach Parise, NJ, 1 more yr @ $3.1M: His 82 PTS in 81 GP is down from the previous season, but still sensational production on that price tag.

4) Ryan Suter, NSH, 2 more yrs @ $3.5M AAV: At this point we don’t fully appreciate what Ryan Suter does on a nightly basis because he is overshadowed by Shea Weber.

5) Ryan Getzlaf, ANA, 3 more yrs @ $5.3M AAV: He missed 16 games last season but still managed to put up 69 PTS. He’s a beast.

6) Jimmy Howard, DET, 1 more yr @ $716K AAV: That’s just about as good a price as you will see for 37 wins and a .924 SV%. He just won the Calder trophy as rookie of the year.

7) Alex Burrows, VAN, 3 more yrs @ $2M AAV: His meteoric rise to stardom has hit 35 goals and 67 PTS, great value at a low price. Playing with the Sedin twins does inflate his numbers beyond what he’d do on almost any other line.

8) Dustin Brown, LA, 4 more yrs @ $3.2M AAV: 24 goals, 248 shots, and 287 hits at age 24. They’ve got him locked up at a great price with his prime years still ahead of him.

9) Travis Zajac, NJ, 3 more yrs @ $3.9M AAV: 25 goals and 67 PTS by this 25-year-old is great value.

10) Stephen Weiss, FLA, 3 more yrs @ $3.1M AAV: At age 26 he has elevated into a 60-point player playing 20m per game. Scored 28 goals and won 813 face-offs.

11) Alex Edler, VAN, 3 more yrs @ 3.3M AAV: He scored 42 PTS from the blueline at age 23. He’s become a valuable asset to this Canucks franchise.

12) David Krejci, BOS, 2 more yrs @ $3.75M AAV: His production fell by 21 PTS over the previous season, but he’s still young and still playing at a discount.

13) Patrick Sharp, CHI, 2 more yrs @ $3.9M AAV: He scored 66 PTS in the regular season and 22 more in the playoffs en route to a Stanley Cup victory. That's a win.

14) Keith Yandle, PHO, 1 more yr @ $1.2M AAV: The low budget Coyotes got this 40-point defenseman at a bargain price.

15) Mikko Koivu, MIN, 1 more yr @ $3.25M AAV: At age 27 he just completed the best season of his young career to date with 71 PTS.

Honorable mentions: Jordan Staal, Christian Ehrhoff, Craig Anderson, Brent Seabrook, Nathan Horton, Ryane Clowe, Toby Enstrom, Troy Brouwer