grandmaster Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1799729 Nearly every general manager in the NHL has a contract they'd like to get rid of. Not including LTIR-eligible players or players signed this summer, here are the current 10 worst deals in the league based on cap hit, term, and expected value over the duration of the contract: 10. Jonathan Quick Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Kings Age: 33 Cap hit: $5.8M Years left: 4 Signing GM: Dean Lombardi The 10-year deal Quick signed in 2012 was 100 percent worth it for the Kings. He was coming off his best season and ended up winning a second Stanley Cup two years after. However, Quick not only just had the worst campaign of his career, but it was a year in which he was one of the worst goalies in the league. Quick posted an .888 save percentage in 46 games, and while it may seem easy to blame a poor team in front of him, fellow netminders Jack Campbell (.928 in 31 games) and Calvin Petersen (.924 in 11 games) had no issues. As a 33-year-old with lots of mileage who relied on outstanding athleticism, Quick's days as a No. 1 goalie appear to be behind him, but he's being paid as such for four more years. 9. Johnny Boychuk Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty Team: Islanders Age: 35 Cap hit: $6M Years left: 3 Signing GM: Garth Snow Boychuk's first season with the Islanders in 2014-15 was stellar, but he's fallen off a cliff since then. He doesn't drive play offensively anymore, and last season, he was the worst Isles blue-liner at preventing shot attempts and expected goals. He's a third-pairing defenseman at best right now, and it's only going to get worse from here. 8. Bobby Ryan Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Senators Age: 32 Cap hit: $7.25M Years left: 3 Signing GM: Bryan Murray Ryan's contract isn't an issue for the Sens, who need it to get the cap floor, but it'd be a major problem for just about any other team. He can still put up 40 points, so he isn't totally useless, but he's a disaster defensively. He had so much promise with the Anaheim Ducks but has never lived up to the hype in Ottawa. 7. Justin Abdelkader Norm Hall / National Hockey League / Getty Team: Red Wings Age: 32 Cap hit: $4.25M Years left: 4 Signing GM: Ken Holland Abdelkader parlayed his first good offensive season - at 27 years old - into a seven-year deal the following year. Good for him, but what was Ken Holland thinking? He hasn't come close to replicating his 20-goal form and has resorted back to being a fourth-line-caliber player, which he was the first five seasons of his career before the breakout campaign. 6. Karl Alzner Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Canadiens Age: 30 Cap hit: $4.625M Years left: 3 Signing GM: Marc Bergevin Woof. Alzner was a turnover machine in his first season with the Habs in 2017-18, tallying a career-high 90 giveaways. He was so bad last year he ended up playing more games in the AHL (34) than in the NHL (9). The former fifth overall pick is a seventh defenseman at best but is paid like a top four. 5. Loui Eriksson Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Canucks Age: 34 Cap hit: $6M Years left: 3 Signing GM: Jim Benning Eriksson begins the run of regrettable signings inked on July 1, 2016 - the day GMs went mad. Benning likely imagined Eriksson would slot in alongside fellow Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin and enjoy success - as several other wingers had. It did not pan out. Eriksson has barely scored more goals in three years with the Canucks (32) than he did in his final season with the Boston Bruins (30). Vancouver is tight against the cap, so it wouldn't be surprising if the club buried Eriksson's contract in the minors. He's basically a fourth-liner at this point. 4. Kyle Okposo Bill Wippert / National Hockey League / Getty Team: Sabres Age: 31 Cap hit: $6M Years left: 4 Signing GM: Tim Murray Of the four July 1, 2016 deals to crack the list, Okposo's seemed like it came with the least amount of risk. However, his points per game have been declining every year since 2013-14, and it took a sizable dip last season, as he registered just 29 points in 78 games. The problem with Okposo is that he hasn't been able to produce enough to play a top-six role, but his game doesn't translate well in the bottom six without skilled players around him. 3. Andrew Ladd Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Islanders Age: 33 Cap hit: $5.5M Years left: 4 Signing GM: Garth Snow If you're ever wondering why Snow is no longer an NHL GM, this article should provide some clarity. He's the only executive to have multiple signings on this list. Ladd was already on the decline when Snow signed him to a seven-year deal in 2016, and his physical style of play never projected well into his mid-30s. The drop-off in production has come much sooner than expected. In an injury-riddled 2018-19 campaign, the former Winnipeg Jets captain netted just three goals and eight assists in 26 games. 2. Milan Lucic Mike Stobe / National Hockey League / Getty Team: Flames Age: 31 Cap hit: $6M ($5.25M after retention) Years left: 4 Signing GM: Peter Chiarelli The worst of the worst during the infamous 2016 free-agent frenzy, Lucic's steep drop-off was rather easy to predict - for everyone except Peter Chiarelli. Once one of the game's premier power forwards, Lucic's skating ability was never his strong suit, and when he lost that extra half step, the 31-year-old could no longer keep up. Lucic also seemed to lose his soft hands around the net, as he has just seven goals over his last 125 games. He still brings some intangibles, and his possession metrics have remained positive, but he's arguably the most overpaid fourth-liner in the NHL, and it's only going to get worse from here. 1. Brent Seabrook Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty Team: Blackhawks Age: 34 Cap hit: $6.875M Years left: 5 Signing GM: Stan Bowman Bowman is one of three GMs on this list still employed by the same team. It's amazing the cushion three Stanley Cups provide. Seabrook was still in his prime at the time of his eight-year, $55-million extension, but he's gotten drastically worse over the last three seasons, hitting rock bottom in 2018-19. Among defensemen who played at least 500 minutes at five-on-five last year, Seabrook was on the ice for the most scoring chances against, the second-most high-danger scoring chances against, and the third-most expected goals against on a per 60-minute basis. This, all while providing little offense. The former Olympian is already a bottom-pairing blue-liner at best. Three Stanley Cups softens the blow a bit for Blackhawks fans, but forecasting Seabrook's play over the next five years is not a pretty sight. (Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post grandmaster Posted July 26, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 LE ranked 5th worst. Categorized as a 4th liner at best during his current level of play. LE - “I’m not getting the same confidence by the coaching staff as I did from coaches in the past” JB - sends this report to him... 2 9 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 9 minutes ago, grandmaster said: LE ranked 5th worst. Categorized as a 4th liner at best during his current level of play. LE - “I’m not getting the same confidence by the coaching staff as I did from coaches in the past” JB - sends this report to him... '4th liner at best' isn't accurate. He's been ranked in the top 20 PK players in the league and has put up ~30ish pts. Not worth the salary but hardly that description. Probably still middle of the pack of the hardest to move contacts, unless you're Calgary 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmaster Posted July 26, 2019 Author Share Posted July 26, 2019 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said: '4th liner at best' isn't accurate. He's been ranked in the top 20 PK players in the league and has put up ~30ish pts. Not worth the salary but hardly that description. Probably still middle of the pack of the hardest to move contacts, unless you're Calgary Many 4th liners in the NHL that can do PK work as well or better than LE Edited July 26, 2019 by grandmaster 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Alflives Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 I’m a ghost Ehlers and Princess William should be on that list. No one is taking those two muffins for the contracts they have. 2 5 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, Alflives said: I’m a ghost Ehlers and Princess William should be on that list. No one is taking those two muffins for the contracts they have. 'we can, and we will' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fanuck Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 (edited) Scary to think that if we had to pick one of those horrendous contracts/players - I'd probably take Loui's as ridiculous as it sounds. At least he's not 'actively' hurting the team every moment he's on the ice like some of those other plugs on that list. Edited July 26, 2019 by Fanuck 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithers joe Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 louie’s contract will be hard to move but i believe JB will retain 3 mil of the 9 mil left on his contract and find a taker. good luck, louie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_19 Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 13 minutes ago, Fanuck said: Scary to think that if we had to pick one of those horrendous contracts - I'd probably take Loui's as ridiculous as it sounds. I'd trade him for johnny boychuk in a heartbeat. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIC_CITY Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 35 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said: '4th liner at best' isn't accurate. He's been ranked in the top 20 PK players in the league and has put up ~30ish pts. Not worth the salary but hardly that description. Probably still middle of the pack of the hardest to move contacts, unless you're Calgary Personally, I don't believe Loui is the same defender/PKer as he was a few years ago. I just didn't see the fight/effort out of him last year and judging by the eye test alone, I would tend to disagree with this statement. Having said that, are you aware of a site that posts data like this? It would be interesting to see how Loui lines up against the rest of the league on the PK over the last 2 or 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwijibo Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 9 minutes ago, smithers joe said: louie’s contract will be hard to move but i believe JB will retain 3 mil of the 9 mil left on his contract and find a taker. good luck, louie. The cap hit is still $6m. Retaining $1m a year doesn’t help that much. The only real hope is finding a team that needs to hit the cap floor with a contract that has a higher cap hit than actual payout. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure every team will easily hit the floor this season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smithers joe Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 2 minutes ago, qwijibo said: The cap hit is still $6m. Retaining $1m a year doesn’t help that much. The only real hope is finding a team that needs to hit the cap floor with a contract that has a higher cap hit than actual payout. Unfortunately I’m pretty sure every team will easily hit the floor this season it won’t be easy, but i think he'll find a way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PhillipBlunt Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 1 hour ago, grandmaster said: LE ranked 5th worst. Categorized as a 4th liner at best during his current level of play. LE - “I’m not getting the same confidence by the coaching staff as I did from coaches in the past” JB - sends this report to him... And somewhere Timrafan’s blood boils. 1 7 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post GhostsOf1994 Posted July 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 26, 2019 I proved that about loui eriksson a few days ago to timrafan, who said i was wrong. Anyone curios should go look at the Eriksson moving on thread, i spent some time compiling stats(no analytics). I said Loui Eriksson"s production is that of a 4th liner at best, and that he will be in the AHL come October. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_314 Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 Interesting list. Curious to see where you guys would rank him amongst the other crap deals of 2016's FA? - Out of Lucic, Brouwer, Backes, Frans Nielsen, Loui, Ladd; if you had to sign one of these albatrosses (and ignoring positional need, say you needed help in all 3 forward positions) which would you sign? Would any of you pick Loui above the others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solinar Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 13 minutes ago, Phil_314 said: Interesting list. Curious to see where you guys would rank him amongst the other crap deals of 2016's FA? - Out of Lucic, Brouwer, Backes, Frans Nielsen, Loui, Ladd; if you had to sign one of these albatrosses (and ignoring positional need, say you needed help in all 3 forward positions) which would you sign? Would any of you pick Loui above the others? I was mad that we got Eriksson that year, but that's because I wanted Ladd and Brouwer, 1 at 4.5 million, the other at 3.5 million. Thought their grit, leadership, and intangibles would have been a good fit on the team to remain competitive. So...you're all lucky that I wasn't GM that year 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 17 minutes ago, Phil_314 said: Interesting list. Curious to see where you guys would rank him amongst the other crap deals of 2016's FA? - Out of Lucic, Brouwer, Backes, Frans Nielsen, Loui, Ladd; if you had to sign one of these albatrosses (and ignoring positional need, say you needed help in all 3 forward positions) which would you sign? Would any of you pick Loui above the others? Ladd has always been a clutch scorer. I'd say he's more useful than Eriksson at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_19 Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 26 minutes ago, Phil_314 said: Interesting list. Curious to see where you guys would rank him amongst the other crap deals of 2016's FA? - Out of Lucic, Brouwer, Backes, Frans Nielsen, Loui, Ladd; if you had to sign one of these albatrosses (and ignoring positional need, say you needed help in all 3 forward positions) which would you sign? Would any of you pick Loui above the others? Neilson is a step above the rest of those guys. I'd take him for sure, he'd be an upgrade on Sutter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick_theRyper Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 Hmm.. yup! No surprises here. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theo5789 Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 LE + Pearson + Schaller (11.9 million this season) for Okposo + Ristolainen (11.4 million). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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