5 Of The Best Contracts Signed In The NHL Since 2010

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Doesn’t it seem that whenever a player signs a free agent contract or a contract extension with their current team, it’s always the bad contracts that stick out? People always try to find the negative, especially with contracts that are longer term. Whether they think it’s too long or too much money, the negative focus is inevitable. As a Canucks fan, I can attest to this, especially during the Jim Benning era. I’m not just talking about the Loui Eriksson contract. It seemed like every July 1st, I was holding my breath, hoping he wouldn’t sign a contract that would set our franchise back another five years.

Obviously, teams tend to overpay players at the start of free agency, and a lot of those contracts end up being terrible. Either they handicap teams for years to come, or they end up being traded or bought out soon after being signed. Even when teams extend players, some of them age like milk—often because teams pay a player after a small sample size. However, this isn’t always the case. There have been a lot of good contracts that have been handed out as well—some really great contracts that have helped teams win cups by managing the salary cap so well. These contracts rarely get the recognition they deserve, so that’s what this article is for. I want to change that. I’m going to be sharing some of the best contracts in the NHL since 2010. Note, that this is not in order, and some of these players are still playing on these current contracts.

Sidney Crosby 12-year $104.4 million signed in 2012 

Any contract Crosby got wasn’t going to be a bad one, but getting him for only $8.7 million for over a decade is straight robbery. Crosby’s superstition with the number 87 allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to build a great team around him, win two more Stanley Cups, and acquire other star players to make deep playoff runs. Especially with the contracts, not just for star players, but second and third liners, Crosby’s contract looks better and better each year. Crosby’s contract will go down as one of the best in NHL history.

Cale Makar Six-year $54 million signed in 2021

Obviously, we know Cale Makar as one of the top defensemen in the NHL today. The same thing that applies to Crosby applies to him as well. Whatever contract he signed wasn’t going to be bad. He, along with Nathan MacKinnon, are the two biggest reasons for the Colorado Avalanche’s success. But what made Makar’s contract such a bargain wasn’t the salary he was making—it was the salary that other defensemen who got paid around the same time were making. When Makar signed this deal, you could argue that he was the best defenseman in the NHL, or at the very least, top three. Someone you couldn’t even fathom putting in that conversation was Seth Jones. The day before Makar signed his deal, Jones signed an eight-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, making $9.5 million per year. Not long after, Darnell Nurse signed an eight-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers worth $9.25 million per year. Yes, we can take a second to laugh at those two contracts. But it was mind-blowing that Makar was making less money than them. Obviously, his next contract will hit double digits in AAV, but it’s still astounding that the Avalanche were able to sign Makar for only $9 million per year.

Leon Draisaitl Eight-year contract  $68 million dollars signed in 2017

Draisaitl was a star in the league when the Edmonton Oilers inked him to this contract, but obviously not the superstar that he is today. At the time of signing, you could argue that it might have been an overpay. Before he signed this deal, his career high for points in a season was only 77, which is still good, but it might not have warranted the $8.5 million AAV that he was getting. The Oilers were banking on him breaking out to make the salary a bit more justified, and boy, did he ever. Six 100-point seasons, a Hart, and an Art Ross Trophy later, Draisaitl’s contract became one of the best in the NHL. I don’t even think the Oilers thought he was going to be this good. Draisaitl is a top-five player in the world, minimum. Unfortunately, the Oilers failed to put a competent team around him and Connor McDavid during the early years of his contract. Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $14 million per year extension with the Oilers this year, which seems a lot more reasonable.

Nathan Mackinnon Seven-year contract $44.1 million dollars signed in 2016

At the time Nathan MacKinnon signed this contract, his career high for points in a season was only 63, which he did as a rookie. So the Avalanche took a huge chance on him turning into a superstar when they signed him for seven years at $6.3 million per season. Two years after signing the contract, MacKinnon turned into an MVP finalist and one of the best players in the NHL. His $6.3 million salary was highway robbery. The Avalanche capitalized on this by winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 and building a contending team around him year after year. Oh, what a luxury it must have been to have one of the best players in the league for only $300 thousand more than what Loui Eriksson was making. I promise I’m not bitter.

Quinn Hughes Six-year $47.1 million-dollars signed in 2021

The Canucks were in contract negotiations with superstar Elias Pettersson along with Hughes in the summer of 2021. They signed them on the same day, but Pettersson only ended up getting a three-year bridge deal, while Hughes got a long-term deal. Boy, are the Canucks lucky with that. After a rocky 2021, Hughes broke out and established himself as a top defenseman in the NHL. He kept getting better and better each year and won the Norris Trophy in 2024. The only bad part is that Hughes is going to be breaking the bank when his contract is over in two years, but it’ll be well-deserved. Hughes is the best player on the Canucks, and prior to his injury, he was in the Hart Trophy discussion.

Do you think I missed anyone? Leave a comment below.