NHL's top 10 long term contracts.

[jammer2]

   Pfffft. When Giroux signed last year, I think everyone was in agreement, he was a tad overpaid. How quickly things can change in just a year. He's ranked 9th on this list, and I have to agree, when compared to some of the outrageous deals out there, 8mill+ for G in his prime for the whole deal is looking more and more like a bargain.

 

  Can't say I disagree with any of the choices here. After seeing the payday Subban raked in, the agents of Pietrangelo and Doughty must be kicking themselves. If Subban is making 9.5, then Doughty is worth 10 all day long. Being one of the driving offensive forces of 2 Stanley Cup championships is far more impressive than P.K's Norris. In fact, Doughty, Kopitar and Gaborik have been inked to some very, very nice lowballing contracts by Lombardi....a A+ effort from Dean for tying up their top guns without breaking the bank.

 

 

 http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2014/08/13/the-top-10-best-long-term-nhl-contracts/

[flyercanuck]

Honourable mentions:  James van Riemsdyk (6 years, $25.5M total, $4.25M cap hit, 

 

 9. Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers .......Finally, a good signing by the Flyers.  

 

 Well Mr. Stamper, just a little bit of research would have told you the Flyers signed JVR to that contract, that Giroux just came off a complete steal of a deal, that Simmonds contract is right up there for honorable mention as is Voraceks. Let me guess, they still play BSB style and need a goalie.

 

I think Doughtys not as spectacular regular seasons keep his $ down a bit, as does Lombardis work.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Though he isn't on that list, and technically, he signed more than one contract, I'd like to mention Steven Stamkos of the Lightning.

 

His EL contract was 3yrs/ $11.1 M

And his follow-up contract, the one that REALLY saw him soar into super stardom, and the one he is currently under, is 5 yrs / $37.5 M.

 

Combined, that is $8 yrs / $48.6 M worth of Stamkos goodness the Lightning treated their fans to.

And with the production, fan interest, and elevating of the franchise that he has done, I'd say less than $50M over 8 yrs is downright larceny.

 

Stamkos is under contract for this upcoming season and for next season as well, but after that, at only age 26, Mr. Stamkos will be due a huge payday......hopefully, the Lightning have appreciated his contributions prior, and DO plan on signing him long term after that, whatever the cost, as he surely will have earned whatever it takes to keep him.

[JR Ewing]

These types of articles are a bit more frustrating than anything... Some of these contracts were signed under a completely different CBA, by different teams with different internal caps, different situations, by players of different ages, etc, etc, etc. So the "Player A's contract is THIS, so B's is definitely bad" is some pretty stunted logic.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Vlasic's 4.25 million a year for 5 years is our best contract

[J0e Th0rnton]

These types of articles are a bit more frustrating than anything... Some of these contracts were signed under a completely different CBA, by different teams with different internal caps, different situations, by players of different ages, etc, etc, etc. So the "Player A's contract is THIS, so B's is definitely bad" is some pretty stunted logic.

Maybe we should break it down by % of cap hit vs cap the year it was signed?

[jammer2]

Maybe we should break it down by % of cap hit vs cap the year it was signed?

  Yes, that would give the true value....as others have said, the year and or CBA the deal was signed under makes a lot of difference.

[JR Ewing]

Maybe we should break it down by % of cap hit vs cap the year it was signed?

Yes, that would give the true value....as others have said, the year and or CBA the deal was signed under makes a lot of difference.

Percentage of cap hit is a start, but there's more to consider. Which contract number are they on, since a player's 3rd contract is richer than his 2nd? Using just the earlier example of Doughty/Subban now... Where we run into trouble, saying "If this guy is making X then that guy should get Y" is that it's not taking the management team into account. In the case of these two players, the Kings (either due to Dean Lombardi or ownership) knew they had a player on their hands, and understood that term and dollars were the smart play for the long term plan of the team's future. They could have squeezed Doughty, and made him "earn" the big dollars with a bridge contract..

And that's what MTL did with Subban... What would the Oilers be paying Taylor Hall if they forced him into a bridge contract, only for him to finish 9th (2nd in the Big Boy Conference) and 6th in NHL scoring and going into contract #3? They'd be looking at more than $6M. The Habs were more interested in maximizing their current leverage on Subban, and it cost them many millions of dollars. The bridge deal was the dumb play

Even aside from that, was a certain contract signed by a team because they needed to reach the cap floor, so they threw extra money at a player? Did the opposite occur to a cap team, making one player a relative bargain? Are we talking about Shea Weber, who was signed for much more than he'd have been likely to receive from NAS, in hopes the contract wouldn't be matched? Does this guy play for the Pens where, surely, the internal individual cap is set to be no more than Sidney makes? Do many teams use such a system?

There's so much more to it than the article, and most people who engage in the topic, seem to consider.

[jammer2]

@JR Ewing  Awesome points JR, thanks for your insight. Yes, I have to agree, the writer could have expanded his ideas and format to include the aforementioned anomalies.