Clarkson, Lehtonen, Phaneuf headline 2016-17 bad contracts team

The worst contracts are usually handed out at this time of year.

With teams tossing money around freely as the free-agent market opened, we figured it was a good time to take a dive into some of the worst contracts in the NHL.

So without further ado, here's the 2016-17 bad contracts team:

Forwards

LW	C	RW
Matt Moulson	Travis Zajac	David Clarkson
Marian Gaborik	Dave Bolland	Dustin Brown
Evander Kane	Mikhail Grabovski	Joffrey Lupul
Bryan Bickell	Brandon Sutter	Ryan Callahan
Nick Foligno	Jordan Staal	Darren Helm

Notes:

• Moulson's signed for another three years at $5 million per. He scored only eight times last season, but even more alarmingly, he averaged under 12 minutes of ice time.
• To his credit, Zajac followed up a career-worst 28-point 2014-15 season with 42 points in 2015-16, but he's 31 and signed through 2021 at a cap hit of $5.75 million. It's doubtful he hits the 50-point mark in his career again.
• That the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to get out from the horrific Clarkson contract is almost unfair. They deserved it. Four more years at $5.25 million, with a full no-movement clause. Courage, Columbus.
• Gaborik and Brown are costing the Los Angeles Kings $10.75 million against the cap for the next five years. Gaborik's 34 and Brown's 31, and they scored a combined 23 goals last season.
• The Florida Panthers have made excellent decision after excellent decision and put together a quality division-winning roster. The Bolland signing, though, was a mistake. That's life. Three more years at $5 million.
• Kane makes the club because $5.25 million should get you more than 20 goals and 35 points. On top of him being seemingly unable to reach his potential on the ice, he has off-ice troubles, which are arguably more concerning. He's an unrestricted free agent in July 2018.
• Grabovski's vastly overpaid at $5 million per. Two more years.
• Lupul is the highest-paid forward on the Maple Leafs. With two more seasons at $5.25 million left on his deal, Lou Lamoriello will try to make him disappear.
• At this point, even Bickell knows his contract is terrible. Only one more year left on it, though.
• Sutter isn't worth $4.375 million. Period. While we won't blame him for being injured last season, he's hit the 40-point mark in his career only once. Sure, he's a responsible two-way player who can contribute on the penalty kill, but after what Nick Bonino did in the playoffs, Sutter's contract - he's signed through 2021 - looks even worse. Over his last four seasons, Sutter has a 45.8 percent Corsi For rating. There's more: a full no-trade clause through 2019, and a modified one (he can submit a list of 15 teams he won't accept a trade to) after that over the last two years of the deal.
• Callahan's eating $5.8 million in valuable cap space for the Tampa Bay Lightning and his production (10 goals and 28 points in 73 games) leaves much to be desired. The 31-year-old has four years left on his deal, a no-move clause, and a limited no-trade clause in the final two years.
• Foligno, Staal, and Helm round out the club for depth purposes. Foligno cashed in on a career year, and has a no-move. Staal, while serviceable, is overpaid at $6 million against the cap for another seven seasons, and the Helm contract - $3.85 million for the next five seasons for a guy with a career high of 33 points - simply doesn't make a lot of sense.

Defensemen

LD	RD
Dion Phaneuf	Zach Bogosian
Andrej Sekera	Dan Girardi
Andrew MacDonald	Andy Greene
Brooks Orpik	Jonathan Ericsson

Notes:

• Phaneuf is the seventh-highest paid defenseman in the league, signed through 2021 at $7 million against the cap, with a no-move. Toronto moving his deal without eating any salary was a massive coup.
• Bogosian's locked up through 2020 at over $5 million against the cap. The production isn't there, and the puck's in the Sabres' end when he's on the ice. No bueno.
• Sekera costs $5.5 million against the cap through 2021, with a no-move through 2018, and a modified no-trade clause in the final two years of the deal. Good one, Edmonton.
• Girardi, 32, posted a horrific 41.7 percent Corsi For rating last season. Four more campaigns at $5.5 million against the cap with a no-move. Yikes.
• MacDonald is taking up $5 million of the Flyers' cap for another four seasons. He played more games in the AHL than the NHL last season, which says it all.
• Greene's 43.7 percent Corsi For rating in 2015-16 was, well, not good. He'll be 34 in October and has four more seasons at $5 million against the cap left on his deal.
• Orpik and Ericsson are in the press box, and paid handsomely to be there. Orpik will be 36 in September and has three seasons left on his deal with a cap hit of $5.5 million. Ericsson, 32, accounts for $4.25 million against the Red Wings' cap for the next four seasons.

Goalies

Goalie
Kari Lehtonen
Jimmy Howard
Sergei Bobrovsky

Notes:

• Lehtonen's finished the past two seasons with .906 and .903 save percentages, respectively. He'll be 33 in November and is making $5.9 million against the cap for the next two campaigns. There's a reason why Dallas Stars fans are desperate for Ben Bishop.
• Howard's a $5-million backup and signed for the next three years.
• Bobrovsky has the second-highest cap hit among all NHL goalies at $7.425 million. He had a .918 save percentage in an injury-shortened 2014-15, and played even fewer games in 2015-16, posting a ghastly .906 save percentage. He's locked up through 2019 and like seemingly everyone else with a long-term deal on the Blue Jackets, he's got a no-movement clause.

- Salary information courtesy General Fanager

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