Best NHL Contracts 2019

What are the 15 best bargain non entry-level contracts in the NHL in 2019? You often see others online posting best contract lists where they simply rank the best players in the league, regardless of salary. Not here. These are the “best bargains”. The order is roughly based on the estimated amount each player is under-paid multiplied by remaining term. There are several older players who are currently bargains, but carry significant term remaining over the age of 30 and were generally disqualified from the list (Marchand does get an honorable mention). Players with expiring contracts (like Josi and Vasilevskiy) comprise their own list at the bottom of the rankings.

It does really need to be pointed out that from the player perspective, it is no great honor appearing on this list because it means that they are earning significantly less than their market value. A few of these guys might want to consider firing their agents if they haven’t already.

To view last year's list, click here:


1) Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado:

Age: 24

Remaining Term: 4 years

Cap Hit: $6.3M

Signing GM: Joe Sakic, July 8, 2016

MacKinnon came within an inch of winning the Hart Trophy in 2018 and will be a perennial contender for the foreseeable future. Over the past 2 seasons he has scored 97 and 99 PTS and has become one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league who is criminally under-paid. The Point totals on his entry level contract were 63, 38, 52. The salary he received was high for the output he had produced. Where he and his agent messed up was the term. This should have been a bridge deal. I can’t imagine they had any idea he would become an MVP candidate in under 2 years. I do feel like Mikko Rantanen owes Nathan some money (arguably $2M of his salary). Maybe buy him a nice sports car or something...

2) Aleksander Barkov, Florida:

Age: 24

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $5.9M

Signing GM: Dale Tallon, Jan 1, 2016

Barkov has developed into one of the best 2-way centers in the game, and has a good shot to win multiple Selke trophies before the end of his career. 2019 saw him score 96 PTS, shattering his previous career high of 78. You can understand how this made sense to the Barkov camp at the time, after putting up entry level point totals of 24, 36, 59. The salary was fair relative to the production. Once again, the mistake was going long on term, and not foreseeing a rapid improvement in production coming in the near future. There is an argument to be made that Barkov might be the more valuable asset given the defensive component to his game that we don’t see from MacKinnon, but I’m giving Nathan the edge for that higher offensive ceiling (and an extra year remaining).

3) Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg:

Age: 26

Remaining Term: 5 years

Cap Hit: $6.1M

Signing GM: Kevin Cheveldayoff, July 8, 2016

The Jets are fortunate to have their number one center locked-up through the prime of his career at a bargain price, scoring at an 84-point pace over the first 3 years of this deal. Where this gets dicey for Scheifele is that he went even longer on the term than the two contracts above, and he won’t be signing his next contract until after his 30^th birthday. He will continue to play at a bargain price right through his prime earnings window, and could miss the opportunity to hit the big pay day. Interestingly enough, this contract was signed on the same day that Nathan MacKinnon inked his deal above.

4) Sean Couturier, Philly:

Age: 26

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $4.3M

Signing GM: Ron Hextall, July 28, 2015

Couturier has finished top 6 in Selke Trophy voting in both of the last 2 seasons as an elite defensive center who also contributed 76 PTS. Had he hit the UFA market this summer, he’d easily be getting Kevin Hayes money, if not more. In retrospect he sold prime UFA years at a discount, which he probably didn’t see as a discount at the time, given that he had yet to surpass 40 PTS in a season at the time he signed this deal. It has turned into a sensational bargain for the Flyers. This was another case of getting what he was worth at the time, signing for too much term, then rapidly improving offensive output. Shit happens.

5) Morgan Rielly, Toronto:

Age: 25

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $5M

Signing GM: Lou Lamoriello, Apr 13, 2016

Rielly finished 5^th in Norris Trophy voting in 2019 after a 72-point breakout season, helping the Leafs become a Stanley Cup contender. The 27 PTS in 76 GP that he scored in year one of the contract has become a distant memory, even though it was only 2017. His entry level point totals were 30, 29, 36, so once again the wage received was in line with the production he had produced at that moment in time, the problem for the player was too much term at that price. This seems to be a repeating explanation for how another ridiculously low contract came into existence. Young players breaking out after locking in for too much term.

6) David Pasternak, Boston:

Age: 23

Remaining Term: 4 years

Cap Hit: $6.8M

Signing GM: Don Sweeney, Sep 14, 2017

Pasternak was on pace to score 100 PTS in 2019 had injury not limited him to 66 games. The 23-year-old old has rejuvenated the careers of Marchand and Bergeron, as a dangerous component of one of the league’s top scoring lines. Seeing Marner sign for over $10M aav can’t make him feel good about his salary situation, or maybe he takes comfort in the fact that his bargain status has helped the Bruins keep their core of Cup contenders together longer than what was otherwise possible. Pasta scored 70 PTS before signing this contract, so they had to have higher expectations than some of the names above when they signed. The Bruins were likely able to anchor him against the Marchand and Bergeron bargains during negotiations.

7) Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary:

Age: 26

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $6.8M

Signing GM: Brad Treliving, Oct 10, 2016

It’s funny that Gaudreau had to hold out until October to get this much money from Calgary, and now three years later it has become one of the best bargains in the NHL, scoring 99 PTS this past season. The irony is, had he accepted a smaller bridge deal, Johnny could be a $10M player by now. He’d easily get Panarin money if he hit the UFA market this summer, so he wound up costing himself millions of dollars by selling UFA years at a discount. It would have made more sense to bet on himself with a shorter term. But hey, hindsight is 20-20, and the Flames probably weren’t interested in giving him a deal that fast tracked him to unrestricted free agency.

8) Brayden Point, Tampa:

Age: 23

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $6.75M

Signing GM: Julien Brisebois, Sep 23, 2019

Just when it was looking like the Lightning and Point were far apart on a deal and in danger of missing the start of the NHL season, Julien Brisebois pulled off another Tampa RFA bargain. Point and Marner had nearly identical production, which should have put Brayden in line for a bigger contract (given he’s a center), and he signs for $4M less per season. When you factor in the taxes, the take home pay is much closer than it looks, but it’s still unfair that one team has that competitive advantage that is almost a form of salary cap circumvention. This is also part of the Timo Meier family of bridge deals with a big salary in the last year to guarantee a big qualifying offer.

9) John Klingberg, Dallas:

Age: 27

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $4.3M

Signing GM: Jim Nill, Apr 17, 2015

Klingberg had only played 65 NHL games (scoring 40 PTS) before signing this contract, and ultimately made a mistake locking in for a 7-year term at that low of a price tag (especially considering he scored at a 50-point pace as a rookie defenseman). Four years into this contract, Klingberg has scored 59 PTS per 82 GP. He would likely be making anywhere from $7M to $9M if he were set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but instead he’s under contract for 3 more years at half that price. His agent really messed up not making this a 4-year deal. This term will shoot him past his prime earning window and make him an unrestricted free agent near the age of 30.

10) Seth Jones, Columbus:

Age: 24

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $5.4M

Signing GM: Jarmo Kekalainen, June 29, 2016

Over the first 3 years of this contract, Jones has averaged 52 PTS per 82 GP and finished 4^th in Norris Trophy voting in 2018. His offensive production could take a hit this season with the loss of talent the Blue Jackets have sustained at the forward position, which will almost certainly hurt the power play. But the fact that people have been bringing up his name in Norris Trophy conversations in recent seasons shows that he’s among the best defensemen in the league who is being drastically under-paid. The good news for Jones is that he will hit unrestricted free agency at a young enough age that he can still get a monster contract.

11) Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida:

Age: 26

Remaining Term: 4 years

Cap Hit: $5.9M

Signing GM: Dale Tallon, Sep 6, 2016

Credit to Dale Tallon for being the only General Manager to sign multiple contracts on this list, with Huberdeau elevating into extreme bargain status with a 92-point campaign in 2019 (following a 69-point pace over the previous 2 seasons). We’ll have to wait and see if he can sustain his new pace for the remaining 4 years, but even if he drops back down to the 70-point range, it’s still good value. The Panthers have a good young core locked in for the next few years, which gave them the flexibility to go out and get the best free agent goalie on the market. This wasn’t a smart move for Huberdeau, who sold UFA years at a discount, and will be seeking his next contract close to his 30th birthday.

12) Mattias Ekholm, Nashville:

Age: 29

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $3.8M

Signing GM: David Poile, Oct 26, 2015

You often hear analysts say “the player bet on himself” when discussing certain contracts for a low salary, and this one is the polar opposite of a “bet on yourself” contract. Ekholm only scored 18 PTS in 80 GP before signing this extension, so he must not have believed that he was going to get much better than that. Accepting a 6-year term that takes him to age 32 was a massive miscalculation, and will cost him his big UFA pay day. Most of the names on this list will still have the potential to hit a home run on their next contract, but Ekholm will be too old to maximize earnings. This is probably the biggest mistake made by an agent on this best bargain list.

13) Bo Horvat, Vancouver:

Age: 24

Remaining Term: 4 years

Cap Hit: $5.5M

Signing GM: Jim Benning, Sep 8, 2017

Horvat might be the lowest scoring forward on this list with 61 PTS in 2019, but being a solid 2-way center certainly adds to his value. Look for his production to rise with the addition of more talented wingers to the roster. They have him locked up through what should be the prime of his career at a discounted price. The youngster will play a key role as the Canucks look to emerge from their rebuild to become a playoff team. There's a few people in the Vancouver media who would rank this contract much higher on the list. 

14) Mika Zibanejad, Rangers:

Age: 26

Remaining Term: 3 years

Cap Hit: $5.4M

Signing GM: Jeff Gorton, July 25, 2017

Zibanejad jumped up to a higher level of production in 2019, scoring 74 PTS (which was 20 PTS better than his previous career high). Don’t expect that to be a fluke, as the addition of Artemi Panarin in New York will help him sustain that output, even exceed it. He scored 37 PTS in 56 GP the season before signing this contract, so he probably wasn’t expecting that those potential UFA years he gave up would cost him too much money. Zibanejad would easily pull in $8M aav if he hit the open market this summer. This should expire at a young enough age that he could still hit a home run on his next contract.

                                                   

15) Dylan Larkin, Detroit:

Age: 23

Remaining Term: 4 years

Cap Hit: $6.1M

Signing GM: Ken Holland, Aug 10, 2018

Year one of this contract saw Larkin have the best season of his young career with 32 goals and 73 PTS on a terrible team, playing almost 22 minutes per game. This is an even bigger bargain for a center who averaged over 20 faceoffs per game, winning 54%, and also came close to 300 shots on goal. The market for RFA forwards has started to shift, and Larkin locked in just before that shift began. Perhaps I’m biased as a Red Wings fan who has Larkin on his Fantasy Hockey keeper league roster, but I’m not the only one who thinks this kid has some prime years ahead of him. Great deal for Detroit.

The Expiring Bargains:

· Roman Josi, Nashville, 1 more year @ $4M, Age 29:

· Andre Vasilevskiy, Tampa, 1 more year @ $3.5M, Age 25:

· Erik Gustafsson, Chicago, 1 more year @ $1.2M, Age 27:

· Kevin Labanc, San Jose, 1 more year @ $1M, Age 23:

· Taylor Hall, New Jersey, 1 more year @ $6M, Age 27:

· Tyson Barrie, Toronto, 1 more year @ $5.5M, Age 28:

· Matt Murray, Pittsburgh, 1 more year @ $3.8M, Age 25:

· Evgeni Dadonov, Florida, 1 more year @ $4M, Age 30:

· Sam Reinhart, Buffalo, 1 more year @ $3.7M, Age 23:

· Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg, 1 more year @ $3.2M, Age 24:

Honorable Mentions:

· Brad Marchand, Boston, 6 more yrs @ $6.1M, Age 31: Nominally one of the best bargains. I’m concerned about term and age.

· Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis, 4 more yrs @ $7.5M, Age 28:

· Sean Monahan, Calgary, 4 more yrs @ $6.4M, Age 24:

· Timo Meier, San Jose, 4 more yrs @ $6M, Age 22:

· Patrice Bergeron, Boston, 3 more yrs @ $6.9M, Age 33:

· Frederik Andersen, Toronto, 2 more yrs @ $5M, Age 30:

· Elias Lindholm, Calgary, 5 more yrs @ $4.8M, Age 24:

· Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado, 2 more yrs @ $5.6M, Age 26:

· Tomas Hertl, San Jose, 3 more yrs @ $5.6M, Age 25:

· Mark Giordano, Calgary, 3 more yrs @ $6.8M, Age 36: