Grading every team's worst contract
Nearly every team in the NHL has at least one contract it would like to get rid of. For some teams, that deal is a significantly bigger albatross. Here is every team's worst contract, not including players on LTIR, graded from 1-10 (10 being the worst) based on the following criteria:
- Cap hit
- Years remaining (current season not included)
- Age
- Player's value
- Player's expected value over duration of contract
- Ease with which a team could dispose of contract
The deals are grouped into three tiers, starting with the stuff of general managers' nightmares.
Worst of the worst
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Parise | MIN | 33 | $7.538M | 7 |
Thirteen-year contracts never seem to end well, and not even halfway through, Parise's deal is already brutal. Injuries have held him back over his entire tenure with the Wild, and seem to have rapidly aged him. He has just six goals this season. Grade: 10/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carey Price | MTL | 30 | $10.5M | 8 |
Yes, Price plays behind a dreadful Montreal Canadiens team, but it's ignorant to think his game hasn't fallen off too. An injury-prone, declining goaltender heading into the back nine of his career with a $10.5-million AAV would handcuff the smartest GMs in the league, never mind Marc Bergevin. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Ryan | OTT | 30 | $7.25M | 4 |
Ryan hasn't been the player he was for Anaheim since coming to Ottawa, but the last two seasons have marked a new low. On the bright side, Ryan's massive salary will help the Sens reach the cap floor if they ultimately deal Erik Karlsson. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loui Eriksson | VAN | 32 | $6M | 4 |
Eriksson never jelled with the Sedins like Jim Benning hoped he would. Nor has he really jelled with anyone else, for that matter. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Lucic | EDM | 29 | $6M | 5 |
Lucic is already a caveman in today's NHL. He's too slow to keep up in a game dominated by youth and speed, and with each coming season, he'll fall further behind. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Seabrook | CHI | 32 | $6.875M | 6 |
Though still serviceable, Seabrook's play declined sharply this year. He's trending in the wrong direction on a team doing the same. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Ladd | NYI | 32 | $5.5M | 5 |
Ladd's deal was disastrous from the get-go. He still managed to score 23 goals last year, but had only eight assists. His production has dipped even more this year, and it's hard to imagine he'll ever return to being the player he was in Winnipeg. Grade: 9/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frans Nielsen | DET | 33 | $5.25M | 4 |
Nielsen is still a decent two-way center, albeit slightly overpaid. However, as he approaches his mid-30s, this contract could become ugly, fast. Grade: 8/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Staal | NYR | 31 | $5.7 | 3 |
Staal never had much offensive flair, but the shutdown defensive ability he was known for has deteriorated over the last few years, and it's unlikely he'll rebound. Grade: 8/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Dubinsky | CBJ | 31 | $5.85M | 3 |
Dubinsky can still play an in-your-face defensive role, but those types of players generally make a couple million, not $5.85M. Grade: 8/10
Bad, but tolerable
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Okposo | BUF | 29 | $6M | 5 |
While Okposo was decent in his first season with Buffalo, he's dropped off this year. He's relatively young as far as the players on this list, however, and though it's a long contract, he could have a couple 50-point seasons left in him. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Backes | BOS | 33 | $6M | 3 |
Backes is still a strong defensive forward, but can he remain as such while contributing offensively into his mid-30s? Probably not. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Johnson | COL | 29 | $6M | 5 |
Johnson has been a workhorse on the Avalanche back end, averaging nearly 26 minutes of ice time before his latest injury, but his health is a constant concern. He played fewer than 50 games per campaign in two of the previous three seasons and is once again on the shelf, so it's hard to imagine the remaining five years of his deal paying off, even if you can justify the cap hit. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Brouwer | CGY | 32 | $4.5M | 2 |
Brouwer doesn't give the Flames anything, really, but $4.5 million isn't ridiculous money, and this deal can be disposed of fairly easily. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Martin | SJS | 37 | $4.875M | 1 |
Martin has played more AHL games than NHL games this season, and he'll likely be buried in the minors again next year. At least that'll be the end of it. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Spezza | DAL | 34 | $7.5M | 1 |
Though Spezza's play has cratered, the Stars only have to deal with it for one more season. Grade: 6/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew MacDonald | PHI | 31 | $5M | 2 |
MacDonald definitely isn't worth $5 million, but he's still playing top-four minutes on a playoff team, so he must be doing something right. Grade: 5/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Darling | CAR | 29 | $4.15M | 3 |
After three sensational seasons as Chicago's backup, Darling's first campaign as a starter has been a nightmare - he lost his job to Cam Ward. He's got lots of term left to bounce back, but it looks unlikely. Grade: 5/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Callahan | TBL | 32 | $5.8M | 2 |
Callahan still does things to help the Lightning win. Those things shouldn't cost $5.8 million. Grade: 5/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Greene | NJD | 35 | $5M | 2 |
As the Devils' captain, Greene clearly provides something beyond what he brings on the ice, but $5 million is a hefty price. Grade: 5/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks Orpik | WSH | 37 | $5.5M | 1 |
Though Orpik is as mean as they come on the back end, that shouldn't result in such a high cap hit. However, he should be serviceable for one more year. Grade: 5/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dustin Brown | LA | 33 | $5.875M | 4 |
Brown is having a major bounce-back season after four poor years in a row. Can he do this again? Grade: 4/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Perry | ANA | 32 | $8.625M | 3 |
Perry is no longer the $8-million player he once was, but he's still capable of 50-60 points. Grade: 4/10
Best of the worst
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Hagelin | PIT | 29 | $4M | 1 |
Considering the speedy Hagelin is the Penguins' worst contract, it's no surprise they've won back-to-back Stanley Cups. Grade: 3/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Martin | TOR | 28 | $2.5M | 2 |
Martin is probably Toronto's 14th-best forward, but this contract could easily be buried in the minors if necessary. Grade: 3/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Allen | STL | 27 | $4.35M | 3 |
Allen hasn't proven he can be a legitimate starting goalie for a full season. While he's shown flashes, at this point he's more of an expensive, quality backup. Grade: 2/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Goligoski | ARI | 32 | $5.475M | 3 |
Goligoski might be miscast as a 23-minute D-man in Arizona, but he still produces offensively despite having few scoring options to move the puck to at forward. Grade: 2/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dmitry Kulikov | WPG | 27 | $4.3M | 2 |
The Jets just signed Kulikov this past offseason, and while $4.3 million seems steep for a sixth defenseman, they'll have the former first-rounder through his prime years. Grade: 2/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberto Luongo | FLA | 38 | $4.53 | 4 |
Presently, Luongo is one of the most cost-effective goalies in the league. Whether he can maintain his elite play into his 40s remains to be seen. Grade: 2/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Bonino | NSH | 29 | $4.1 | 3 |
Bonino is one heck of a third-line center, and $4.1 million doesn't hamper David Poile much at all. Grade: 2/10
| Player | Team | Age | Cap hit | Years left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomas Tatar | VGK | 27 | $5.3M | 3 |
Unsurprisingly, the best worst contract in the NHL belongs to the team that just became a team this year. Tatar wasn't producing like a $5.3-million player in Detroit, but there's plenty of time to right the ship in Vegas. Grade: 1/10
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
(Salary information courtesy: Cap Friendly)
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