Posts by @Joel Dorcas

Mats Sundin was the first European born player to be drafted first overall in the NHL. He shares the distinction as one of the longest-serving captains born outside of North America.  He became the first European captain in Toronto Maple Leaf history in 1996-1997. He will go down in Leaf history as one of their best ever. Let’s take a closer look at the great career of 6’5″ center, number 13 Mats Sundin.

Nicknamed the “moose” because of his large frame and presence on the ice, Mark Messier will go down in NHL history as the ultimate team-leader and captain. In fact, many will regard him as one of the best of all-time in any sport. His likeness will be forever referenced to when teams start building Championship Franchises. Let’s throw it back to the ’80s and ’90s and take a closer look at Mark “Moose” Messier.

The Florida Panthers are oh so close to being mentioned as one of the premier teams of the Atlantic Division. The emergence of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and the steady play of rearguard Aaron Ekblad have all majorly contributed to the Panthers being a team on the rise. If the goaltending and defense can tighten up, the potential here is high. It appears as though future versions of this franchise will be getting an influx of talent that will put this team over the hurdle. Let’s take a closer look at some promising prospects within the organization.

There aren’t many organizations in the NHL who are as set up for success as the Tampa Bay Lightning are for right now and the future. The Bolts have a core locked up for the next few seasons that are as talented as any other in the league. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Andrei Vasilevskiy lead the way for this Ulta-talented group. Although core players are signed to multi-year deals, there are a few other pieces who might sign elsewhere due to salary cap restraints. Let’s take a look at some young talent groomed to be next in line to fill some holes on the roster in our “Big 3” Prospect Report.

What an interesting season it has been for the supposedly rebuilding New York Rangers. The February 24th trade deadline has come and gone and the team comes to terms with power forward Chris Kreider for $45.5 M over seven years. The Rangers obviously see themselves as competitors in the race with a record of 32-24-4, It was once a foregone conclusion that Kreider was going to be traded. Not now. The Blue Shirts are in it for the here and now and the future. Let’s take a closer look at some players who are likely to join a team destined to make some noise in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.

Time to wrap this list up. these guys are my top five but by no means is this the defining list. More than likely this list can be added to just like the other series, so feel free to add your favorites. Let’s get to it and find out who is the league’s best players based on their salaries!

Thank you to everyone who checked out my Top 10 Worst Contracts. If you didn’t get the chance, you can still check them out here: Top 10 Worst Contracts in the NHL (Part One)and here: Top 10 Worst Contracts in the NHL (Part Two). Now it’s on to players that have lived up to their contracts and then some. Let’s start it off with 10th to 6th.

On to Part Two, the really bad ones, these seem to be more obvious if you compare them to the first installment, which you check out here(arrow right) link. Feel free to comment with any contracts you feel should be on this list, Thanks!