FIVE BEST NHL PLAYERS GET NOT THE BIGGEST SALARY WHEN PLAYING GOOD
Опубликовано: 7-12-2022, 16:06, , 673, 0
NHL teams resort to signing players on the cheap to meet the salary cap. Jacob Stoller lists five players who play well for less than $1 million.
As the NHL's salary cap has risen only marginally over the past half century, even more attention is being paid to management teams to round the edges of their roster through profitable deals.
In an ideal world, this happens through entry-level contracts, but the timing doesn't always match up for this to be permanent. Sometimes you have to go shopping.
Let's take a look at five discount deals signed this off-season that have paid dividends for clubs. In this list, we only included contracts under $1 million (not including entry-level contracts).
Contract: Signed for two years for $762,500 on 21 September.
You can write Adam Ruzicka's contract extension, especially his term, as another victory for Brad Treliving from the summer of 2022.
After the Flames' first seven games of the season, Ruzicka lost the first seven games of the season and then posted a 5:33 TOI as a fourth line center in his rookie season. Huberdeau fell due to injury. And since then, the 23-year-old Slovak has not looked back.
Ruzicka - 13 points in 15 games - has turned into a solid top 9 for the Flames. According to 1win, the six-foot-four forward scored the third-highest 5-on-5 score in 60 minutes (3.55) of any player who played at least 150 minutes. Ruzicka was also the driver during the 5-on-5 game. And he also took a place in the second powerplay block.
The game selected in the fourth round of 2017 may appeal to many. Ruzicka, who split the team between Calgary (10 points in 28 games) and Stockton (20 points in 16 games) last season, uses his large frame to separate himself from defensemen and keep possession of the puck.
In addition to being a formidable forechecker, he has a knack for creating slot machine odds. His 9.66 scoring chances in 5-on-5 games in 60 minutes rank third in the Flames' rankings thanks to his nimble, clenched hands combined with his massive build.
Make no mistake, Ruzicka is thriving not only because he was in the center of the front row for a while - he scored four points in the same number of games against Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund. Even if his scoring improves — and it probably will to some extent — it's clear that Ruzicka has proven himself to be a capable player, and for the Flames to have such a low in the league until 2023-2024 is a major victory.
Contract: signed for one year for $750,000 on October 15th.
Looks like Sonny Milano found the perfect landing spot for the Washington Capitals.
Despite the Anaheim Ducks scoring a career-high 34 points last season, a first-round pick was never signed in the summer of 2014. Milano, 26, signed with the Flames during training camp but was released before the start of the regular season, just days after the Capitals waived Brett Leeson and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby. So Washington took a flyer on him.
After a brief pit stop in the AHL earlier in the year, when he scored three points in five games with the Hershey Bears, Milan took the lead with nine points in 15 contests.
His deft skill set, which starred in flashy commercials with former Ducks teammate Trevor Zegras last year, flourished. Especially on the flank of Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Osha lately.
It's worth noting that Milano, whose defensive play has been criticized in the past, has recorded a 3.38 5-on-5 clearance in 60 minutes, placing him in the 96th percentile of forwards who have played at least 150 minutes this season.
Milano played well enough to earn power play time, where his top-notch skill set fits in perfectly.
However, the key for Milano is to remain consistent. As encouraging as his 2021-22 campaign has been, his performance has indeed declined in the second half. He went from 0.79 points per game in his first 33 games to 0.30 points per game in his last 33 games - and you should think that this contributed to Anaheim not extending the qualifying offer.
Contract: signed for two years at a price of $800,000 per year on May 22.
Marc Giordano's contract looked like a steal when it was signed. Now it looks like an all-out robbery.
The 39-year-old has played more than 20 minutes a night since TJ Brodie went down with an oblique injury 11 games ago.
What's more, during that time he outperformed all Maple Leafs defensemen in shot-stopping, shots on goal, expected goals and chances.
Throughout the year, Giordano was also one of the main shooters from penalties, ranking second of all Toronto defensemen in minutes.
Now, in an ideal world, Giordano doesn't play that much at night. But with that said, considering how well he's done in his newly expanded role, he could really relish minor matches once the Toronto blue line returns to full health.
But ultimately, one cannot underestimate how big a win this contract was for general manager Kyle Dubas. Even if his game drops next year, Giordano's deal could end up paying off by simply saving the Leafs from buying a quarterback and in turn buying up a lot of assets.
Contract: Signed for one year for $800,000 on July 13th.
This season, Erik Gustafsson has played for four teams over three seasons.
The 30-year-old protector has long expired. His 2018/19 campaign, in which he scored 60 points and finished sixth among defensemen, is a distant memory.
Gustafsson, long known for his efficient shooting and defensive defiance, has struggled to find his footing for the past couple of years. But when Dmitri Orlov pulled out with an injury last month, the opportunity arose and the Swedish rear guard took full advantage of it.
Gustafsson - nine points in 27 games - joined John Carlson in Washington's top pair, according to moneypuck.com. And it doesn't look like Gustafsson was a passenger.
"He was fantastic," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “Night and night he was a very consistent player for us. We knew he could hit pucks, we knew he had a good first pass and we knew he could contribute to the power play. But he also does a lot defensively, playing a really solid game."
Contract: Signed for one year for $750,000 on March 31st.
Like the team he plays for, Zach Paris, 38, doesn't shine, but he's definitely effective.
After being snap-buyed out two years ago, Parise has quietly moved from the public label of "the Wild" as being overpaid to being arguably underpaid on Long Island.
Parise - 12 points in 26 games - proved to be a very effective player, taking several positions in the top nine.
The essence of Paris' influence has a lot to do with the fact that he creates a large number of quality chances for the Islanders team, which scores 3.15 goals per game. According to 1win , his 1.29 individual expected goals in 5-on-5 matches per 60 minutes ranks him fifth among NHL forwards with at least 150 minutes played per game. Among the same cohort, he is third in 5-on-5 rebounds in 60 minutes.
If this list had been made last year, Parise, who scored 35 points in 82 games last season, would also be on it. Since signing that minimum League One contract with the Islanders after being kicked out of the Wild, Paris has scored 47 points in 108 games with the Islanders.
As the NHL's salary cap has risen only marginally over the past half century, even more attention is being paid to management teams to round the edges of their roster through profitable deals.
In an ideal world, this happens through entry-level contracts, but the timing doesn't always match up for this to be permanent. Sometimes you have to go shopping.
Let's take a look at five discount deals signed this off-season that have paid dividends for clubs. In this list, we only included contracts under $1 million (not including entry-level contracts).
ADAM RUJICKA, CALGARY FLAMES
Contract: Signed for two years for $762,500 on 21 September.
You can write Adam Ruzicka's contract extension, especially his term, as another victory for Brad Treliving from the summer of 2022.
After the Flames' first seven games of the season, Ruzicka lost the first seven games of the season and then posted a 5:33 TOI as a fourth line center in his rookie season. Huberdeau fell due to injury. And since then, the 23-year-old Slovak has not looked back.
Ruzicka - 13 points in 15 games - has turned into a solid top 9 for the Flames. According to 1win, the six-foot-four forward scored the third-highest 5-on-5 score in 60 minutes (3.55) of any player who played at least 150 minutes. Ruzicka was also the driver during the 5-on-5 game. And he also took a place in the second powerplay block.
The game selected in the fourth round of 2017 may appeal to many. Ruzicka, who split the team between Calgary (10 points in 28 games) and Stockton (20 points in 16 games) last season, uses his large frame to separate himself from defensemen and keep possession of the puck.
In addition to being a formidable forechecker, he has a knack for creating slot machine odds. His 9.66 scoring chances in 5-on-5 games in 60 minutes rank third in the Flames' rankings thanks to his nimble, clenched hands combined with his massive build.
Make no mistake, Ruzicka is thriving not only because he was in the center of the front row for a while - he scored four points in the same number of games against Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund. Even if his scoring improves — and it probably will to some extent — it's clear that Ruzicka has proven himself to be a capable player, and for the Flames to have such a low in the league until 2023-2024 is a major victory.
SONNY MILANO, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Contract: signed for one year for $750,000 on October 15th.
Looks like Sonny Milano found the perfect landing spot for the Washington Capitals.
Despite the Anaheim Ducks scoring a career-high 34 points last season, a first-round pick was never signed in the summer of 2014. Milano, 26, signed with the Flames during training camp but was released before the start of the regular season, just days after the Capitals waived Brett Leeson and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby. So Washington took a flyer on him.
After a brief pit stop in the AHL earlier in the year, when he scored three points in five games with the Hershey Bears, Milan took the lead with nine points in 15 contests.
His deft skill set, which starred in flashy commercials with former Ducks teammate Trevor Zegras last year, flourished. Especially on the flank of Evgeny Kuznetsov and TJ Osha lately.
It's worth noting that Milano, whose defensive play has been criticized in the past, has recorded a 3.38 5-on-5 clearance in 60 minutes, placing him in the 96th percentile of forwards who have played at least 150 minutes this season.
Milano played well enough to earn power play time, where his top-notch skill set fits in perfectly.
However, the key for Milano is to remain consistent. As encouraging as his 2021-22 campaign has been, his performance has indeed declined in the second half. He went from 0.79 points per game in his first 33 games to 0.30 points per game in his last 33 games - and you should think that this contributed to Anaheim not extending the qualifying offer.
MARK GIORDANO, Toronto Maple Leafs
Contract: signed for two years at a price of $800,000 per year on May 22.
Marc Giordano's contract looked like a steal when it was signed. Now it looks like an all-out robbery.
The 39-year-old has played more than 20 minutes a night since TJ Brodie went down with an oblique injury 11 games ago.
What's more, during that time he outperformed all Maple Leafs defensemen in shot-stopping, shots on goal, expected goals and chances.
Throughout the year, Giordano was also one of the main shooters from penalties, ranking second of all Toronto defensemen in minutes.
Now, in an ideal world, Giordano doesn't play that much at night. But with that said, considering how well he's done in his newly expanded role, he could really relish minor matches once the Toronto blue line returns to full health.
But ultimately, one cannot underestimate how big a win this contract was for general manager Kyle Dubas. Even if his game drops next year, Giordano's deal could end up paying off by simply saving the Leafs from buying a quarterback and in turn buying up a lot of assets.
ERIK GUSTAFSSON, WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Contract: Signed for one year for $800,000 on July 13th.
This season, Erik Gustafsson has played for four teams over three seasons.
The 30-year-old protector has long expired. His 2018/19 campaign, in which he scored 60 points and finished sixth among defensemen, is a distant memory.
Gustafsson, long known for his efficient shooting and defensive defiance, has struggled to find his footing for the past couple of years. But when Dmitri Orlov pulled out with an injury last month, the opportunity arose and the Swedish rear guard took full advantage of it.
Gustafsson - nine points in 27 games - joined John Carlson in Washington's top pair, according to moneypuck.com. And it doesn't look like Gustafsson was a passenger.
"He was fantastic," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “Night and night he was a very consistent player for us. We knew he could hit pucks, we knew he had a good first pass and we knew he could contribute to the power play. But he also does a lot defensively, playing a really solid game."
ZACK PARIS, NEW YORK ISLANDS
Contract: Signed for one year for $750,000 on March 31st.
Like the team he plays for, Zach Paris, 38, doesn't shine, but he's definitely effective.
After being snap-buyed out two years ago, Parise has quietly moved from the public label of "the Wild" as being overpaid to being arguably underpaid on Long Island.
Parise - 12 points in 26 games - proved to be a very effective player, taking several positions in the top nine.
The essence of Paris' influence has a lot to do with the fact that he creates a large number of quality chances for the Islanders team, which scores 3.15 goals per game. According to 1win , his 1.29 individual expected goals in 5-on-5 matches per 60 minutes ranks him fifth among NHL forwards with at least 150 minutes played per game. Among the same cohort, he is third in 5-on-5 rebounds in 60 minutes.
If this list had been made last year, Parise, who scored 35 points in 82 games last season, would also be on it. Since signing that minimum League One contract with the Islanders after being kicked out of the Wild, Paris has scored 47 points in 108 games with the Islanders.
