NHL Stars Starting to "Get It" Regarding Discount Contracts
Are players finally realizing you have to help your team, not just yourself?
Not every contract is going to look like a bargain — Kirill Kaprizov’s deal in Minnesota certainly doesn’t. That doesn’t mean that every NHL superstar is going to take the maximum available on their next deal. A few contracts of late have started to provide evidence that players are starting to “get it” when it comes to working with their respective NHL clubs in an attempt to win and create cap flexibility.
On Monday, Lane Hutson signed what has to be viewed as a team-friendly extension. Inking an eight-year contract for less than what Noah Dobson is being paid, the dynamic defenseman with more upside took a haircut to stick around.
Just recently, Connor McDavid signed what might be viewed as the best bargain or team-friendly deal in post-salary cap NHL history. He committed to two more seasons and didn’t take a single penny more than he was already making.
We all know the story of how many times Sidney Crosby has left money on the table to help the Pittsburgh Penguins, even if one could argue the Penguins aren’t doing him a solid by using those savings to build a competitive playoff team.
There are others, and the theme, despite a rising salary cap, might be that players understand that big cap ceilings don’t mean they can or should take their massive piece of an expanding pie.
