In the modern NHL every General Manager has to be painfully aware of each of their players true market value and their value to the team. One bad contract can turn a Stanley Cup contender into a perennial loser. That same contract can get a coach and general manager fired. Overvaluing a single player is the most dangerous thing to a team's success.
In this edition of rank we examine the ten worst contracts currently in effect. A consistent theme to each of these players/contracts is that you'll notice the team that has shelled out the money has not won anything since doing so. Look at the last few Stanley Cup winners, notice they did not endure bad contracts when they won. They may have given them out afterwards to keep the team together, but not the year they won. Another note, there are no goalies on this list. It is not because there are not bad goalie contracts. The Varlamov, Lundqvist and Price contracts are all not good, but they are manageable.
10. Jonathan Toews
$10.5 million cap hit
Signed through 2022-23
Yes, that is correct. Mr NHL Top 100, captain serious, three time Stanley Cup champion definitely deserves a place on this list. I do not have a vendetta against Jonathan Toews. I just do not understand the love affair with this glorified second line center. How can a guy with career highs of 34 goals and 76 points be the highest paid player in the entire league? Do not sell me some crap about how he is always a Selke finalist. His great defensive play did not even win them a playoff game this year. If you did a complete re-drafting of the league and every GM could pick who they wanted to build their team around, Toews would not go in the top ten. Probably would not go top 20. He is a good player worth about $7 million per year. A good locker room guy that makes his teammates better that way. That is all. The Blackhawks are in a bad situation. They do not have the depth to be a successful team and they do not have the cap space to add quality depth. That is thanks in large part to the Toews contract.
9. Patrick Marleau
$6.45 million cap hit
Signed through 2019-20
This may be a little unfair because Marleau has yet to play a game under this contract. However, he is 37 years and will be 40 when it expires. Can you imagine a 40 year making six and a half million in this league? I cannot. He is still a goal scorer, 27 of them last season. He may very well be the worth his contract next year, but after that he will be holding the Toronto Maple Leafs hostage. They need cap space to inevitably handout big contracts to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Now I wonder where that money will come from. The Leafs rebuild has been flawless to this point, but giving out big contracts to old players is a bad idea.
8. Jason Pominville
$5.6 million cap hit
Signed through 2018-19
The only upside to the Pominville contract is that it is almost over. He is a solid player, but his play has not lived up to his pay day at all. The season before he signed for big money, Pominville scored 30 goals. Since signing, he has not reached 20 goals in a season. Maybe being traded back to Buffalo (where they love to take bad contracts) will be a positive change for Pominville. After all, it was in Buffalo where he had six straight 20+ goal seasons. Minnesota was very luck to find a team to take Pominville. At age 34 and only 13 goals scored last season, I cannot imagine there were many teams calling the Wild about Pominville. Pominville was paid over $430K per goal last year. That is similar to players like Ian Cole, Dmitry Orlov and Seth Jones. The difference being those guys play defense.
7. Dustin Brown
$5.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2021-22
If you listen to other writers and hockey fans talk about Dustin Brown, you would think he was the owner of the worst contract in NHL history. To be fair, it is a bad contract, but far from the worst. Prior to signing an 8 year deal worth a little less than $6 million per year, Brown had five straight 20+ goal seasons and was the captain of the Kings. He already won one Stanley and helped them win a second cup in the first year of this contract. So this deal was looked at as a steal when it was signed. Brown's market value was far greater than what he was being paid. Only now that the Kings have bottomed out and Brown's numbers are down, is this a bad contract. Either way they are still too far from the end of the tunnel to see the light. The Kings gave out a lot of bad contracts to keep their championship team together. Now they are paying the price.
6. Brooks Orpik
$5.5 million cap hit
Signed through 2018-19
If you ask me for the worst contract in the history of the NHL, this one would be in serious consideration for the top spot. The only reason it is not higher on this list is because it is almost over. When the Capitals signed Orpik to this five year deal in 2014, he was a good defensemen on a good team. Not great, not coming off a Stanley Cup season, just good. They paid him like he was their ticket to the Stanley Cup finals. Three seasons in and the Capitals are no better off, if anything they are worse. They overpaid Orpik because they were stealing him from their biggest rival and they thought that would hurt the Pittsburgh Penguins. Turns out the Capitals burned themselves. In two of three seasons Orpik has not scored a single goal. I know that is not what he is there for, but how unlucky can he be? Worse yet, you can blame the Orpik contract for why the Capitals had to let Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk go in free agency. It is contracts like the one the Capitals gave to Brooks Orpik, that have kept them from being Stanley Cup champions.
5. Ryan Callahan
$5.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2019-20
Callahan has always been a pretty good player on a good team. His lack of scoring and skill has been hidden by playing with highly skilled players. However, with Tampa Bay now struggling for cap space it is very clear that Callahan is not earning what he is paid. Since Callahan signed with the Lightning, he has become a shell of the player they traded for. Last season, injuries allowed him to only play 18 games, where he managed 4 points. The prior season he played 73 games, but only scored 10 goals. The Lightning expect to be Stanley Cup contenders in 2017-18. That is only possible if Ryan Callahan lives up to his contract.
4. Johnny Boychuk
$6 million cap hit
Signed through 2021-22
A seven year deal at $6 million per year is a lot for a defensemen that does not do anything special. Boychuk is a good at pretty much everything, but he does not do anything great. The Islanders signed him with the hopes he would turn into an all-star. He never did. Now they are stuck staring up at the Stanley Cup champions and Presidents Trophy winners in their own division and no hope of unloading this bad contract. There are only 11 defensemen making more than Boychuk. All of those guys have played in multiple all-star games.
3. Shea Weber
$7.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2025-26
Weber is one of those defensemen making more than Boychuk and he deserves it. You could make an argument than Weber is the most desirable blue liner in the NHL today. The problem is he is 31 years old and has 9 years left on a deal where he is making nearly $8 million per year. What is Montreal thinking? 3 years from now his slap shot won't be 100 MPH and he will be too slow to play special teams. He will be too old to play 30 minutes a night and they will still have SIX YEARS LEFT ON HIS CONTRACT! If you are a Canadiens fan, how are you not terrified of your future? Are they just hoping the next CBA allows for unpenalized buyouts? Starting next year, they will have over $18 million in cap space tied up between two players. That is 24% of the salary cap. The Shea Weber contract will be nail in Marc Bergevin's contract if the Canadiens do not win a cup in the next two years.
2. Zach Parise
$7.5 million hit
Signed through 2024-25
In the offseason of 2012 the Minnesota Wild decided they were going to get the NHL's top two free agents and try to build a super team. That is when they signed Zach Parise to a 13 year contract worth $7.5 million per year. He will be 39 years old at the end of this deal. Not a bad contract when Parise was scoring 30 goals and 80 points per year. Now he is fringe 20 goal scorer that has only eclipsed 60 points once since joining the Wild. Making things worse for Minnesota is they never became the super team they aspired to be. Minnesota is so bad at contract negotiations, if you are an NHL player and Minnesota makes you an offer there is a good chance they are paying you twice what you are worth. Zach Parise just so happens to be their worst.
1. Anze Kopitar
$10 million cap hit
Signed through 2023-24
Anze Kopitar is the third highest paid player in the NHL today. That means he is making more than Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Erik Karlsson. The reason for the big contract is Kopitar helped lead the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships and is a routine Selke finalist. Now it is obvious the Kings made a terrible mistake. There is no way Kopitar would've received the same contract if he reached free agency. Just like Parise, Brown and Toews; Kopitar simply does not provide the offensive spark to merit the mega-contract. Last season Kopitar managed 12 goals and 52 points. That is not a $10 million dollar stat line. Making all of this even worse is Kopitar still has seven years left on this contract. He will 36 years old and making $10 million dollars. The Kings are in serious trouble and have nothing positive in sight. The are riddled with bad contracts like Kopitar and Brown. The worst part is the Kings are not good enough to be a playoff team, but have too many solid players to stockpile lottery picks for a rebuild. The Kopitar contract could be what keeps the Kings in the cellar for the next decade.
In this edition of rank we examine the ten worst contracts currently in effect. A consistent theme to each of these players/contracts is that you'll notice the team that has shelled out the money has not won anything since doing so. Look at the last few Stanley Cup winners, notice they did not endure bad contracts when they won. They may have given them out afterwards to keep the team together, but not the year they won. Another note, there are no goalies on this list. It is not because there are not bad goalie contracts. The Varlamov, Lundqvist and Price contracts are all not good, but they are manageable.
10. Jonathan Toews$10.5 million cap hit
Signed through 2022-23
Yes, that is correct. Mr NHL Top 100, captain serious, three time Stanley Cup champion definitely deserves a place on this list. I do not have a vendetta against Jonathan Toews. I just do not understand the love affair with this glorified second line center. How can a guy with career highs of 34 goals and 76 points be the highest paid player in the entire league? Do not sell me some crap about how he is always a Selke finalist. His great defensive play did not even win them a playoff game this year. If you did a complete re-drafting of the league and every GM could pick who they wanted to build their team around, Toews would not go in the top ten. Probably would not go top 20. He is a good player worth about $7 million per year. A good locker room guy that makes his teammates better that way. That is all. The Blackhawks are in a bad situation. They do not have the depth to be a successful team and they do not have the cap space to add quality depth. That is thanks in large part to the Toews contract.
9. Patrick Marleau$6.45 million cap hit
Signed through 2019-20
This may be a little unfair because Marleau has yet to play a game under this contract. However, he is 37 years and will be 40 when it expires. Can you imagine a 40 year making six and a half million in this league? I cannot. He is still a goal scorer, 27 of them last season. He may very well be the worth his contract next year, but after that he will be holding the Toronto Maple Leafs hostage. They need cap space to inevitably handout big contracts to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Now I wonder where that money will come from. The Leafs rebuild has been flawless to this point, but giving out big contracts to old players is a bad idea.
8. Jason Pominville$5.6 million cap hit
Signed through 2018-19
The only upside to the Pominville contract is that it is almost over. He is a solid player, but his play has not lived up to his pay day at all. The season before he signed for big money, Pominville scored 30 goals. Since signing, he has not reached 20 goals in a season. Maybe being traded back to Buffalo (where they love to take bad contracts) will be a positive change for Pominville. After all, it was in Buffalo where he had six straight 20+ goal seasons. Minnesota was very luck to find a team to take Pominville. At age 34 and only 13 goals scored last season, I cannot imagine there were many teams calling the Wild about Pominville. Pominville was paid over $430K per goal last year. That is similar to players like Ian Cole, Dmitry Orlov and Seth Jones. The difference being those guys play defense.
7. Dustin Brown$5.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2021-22
If you listen to other writers and hockey fans talk about Dustin Brown, you would think he was the owner of the worst contract in NHL history. To be fair, it is a bad contract, but far from the worst. Prior to signing an 8 year deal worth a little less than $6 million per year, Brown had five straight 20+ goal seasons and was the captain of the Kings. He already won one Stanley and helped them win a second cup in the first year of this contract. So this deal was looked at as a steal when it was signed. Brown's market value was far greater than what he was being paid. Only now that the Kings have bottomed out and Brown's numbers are down, is this a bad contract. Either way they are still too far from the end of the tunnel to see the light. The Kings gave out a lot of bad contracts to keep their championship team together. Now they are paying the price.
6. Brooks Orpik$5.5 million cap hit
Signed through 2018-19
If you ask me for the worst contract in the history of the NHL, this one would be in serious consideration for the top spot. The only reason it is not higher on this list is because it is almost over. When the Capitals signed Orpik to this five year deal in 2014, he was a good defensemen on a good team. Not great, not coming off a Stanley Cup season, just good. They paid him like he was their ticket to the Stanley Cup finals. Three seasons in and the Capitals are no better off, if anything they are worse. They overpaid Orpik because they were stealing him from their biggest rival and they thought that would hurt the Pittsburgh Penguins. Turns out the Capitals burned themselves. In two of three seasons Orpik has not scored a single goal. I know that is not what he is there for, but how unlucky can he be? Worse yet, you can blame the Orpik contract for why the Capitals had to let Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk go in free agency. It is contracts like the one the Capitals gave to Brooks Orpik, that have kept them from being Stanley Cup champions.
$5.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2019-20
Callahan has always been a pretty good player on a good team. His lack of scoring and skill has been hidden by playing with highly skilled players. However, with Tampa Bay now struggling for cap space it is very clear that Callahan is not earning what he is paid. Since Callahan signed with the Lightning, he has become a shell of the player they traded for. Last season, injuries allowed him to only play 18 games, where he managed 4 points. The prior season he played 73 games, but only scored 10 goals. The Lightning expect to be Stanley Cup contenders in 2017-18. That is only possible if Ryan Callahan lives up to his contract.
4. Johnny Boychuk$6 million cap hit
Signed through 2021-22
A seven year deal at $6 million per year is a lot for a defensemen that does not do anything special. Boychuk is a good at pretty much everything, but he does not do anything great. The Islanders signed him with the hopes he would turn into an all-star. He never did. Now they are stuck staring up at the Stanley Cup champions and Presidents Trophy winners in their own division and no hope of unloading this bad contract. There are only 11 defensemen making more than Boychuk. All of those guys have played in multiple all-star games.
$7.8 million cap hit
Signed through 2025-26
Weber is one of those defensemen making more than Boychuk and he deserves it. You could make an argument than Weber is the most desirable blue liner in the NHL today. The problem is he is 31 years old and has 9 years left on a deal where he is making nearly $8 million per year. What is Montreal thinking? 3 years from now his slap shot won't be 100 MPH and he will be too slow to play special teams. He will be too old to play 30 minutes a night and they will still have SIX YEARS LEFT ON HIS CONTRACT! If you are a Canadiens fan, how are you not terrified of your future? Are they just hoping the next CBA allows for unpenalized buyouts? Starting next year, they will have over $18 million in cap space tied up between two players. That is 24% of the salary cap. The Shea Weber contract will be nail in Marc Bergevin's contract if the Canadiens do not win a cup in the next two years.
$7.5 million hit
Signed through 2024-25
In the offseason of 2012 the Minnesota Wild decided they were going to get the NHL's top two free agents and try to build a super team. That is when they signed Zach Parise to a 13 year contract worth $7.5 million per year. He will be 39 years old at the end of this deal. Not a bad contract when Parise was scoring 30 goals and 80 points per year. Now he is fringe 20 goal scorer that has only eclipsed 60 points once since joining the Wild. Making things worse for Minnesota is they never became the super team they aspired to be. Minnesota is so bad at contract negotiations, if you are an NHL player and Minnesota makes you an offer there is a good chance they are paying you twice what you are worth. Zach Parise just so happens to be their worst.
$10 million cap hit
Signed through 2023-24
Anze Kopitar is the third highest paid player in the NHL today. That means he is making more than Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Erik Karlsson. The reason for the big contract is Kopitar helped lead the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships and is a routine Selke finalist. Now it is obvious the Kings made a terrible mistake. There is no way Kopitar would've received the same contract if he reached free agency. Just like Parise, Brown and Toews; Kopitar simply does not provide the offensive spark to merit the mega-contract. Last season Kopitar managed 12 goals and 52 points. That is not a $10 million dollar stat line. Making all of this even worse is Kopitar still has seven years left on this contract. He will 36 years old and making $10 million dollars. The Kings are in serious trouble and have nothing positive in sight. The are riddled with bad contracts like Kopitar and Brown. The worst part is the Kings are not good enough to be a playoff team, but have too many solid players to stockpile lottery picks for a rebuild. The Kopitar contract could be what keeps the Kings in the cellar for the next decade.
No comments:
Post a Comment