Joel Dorcas | April 2nd, 2020
On to Part Two, the really bad ones, these seem to be more obvious if you compare them to the first installment, which you can check out here
▶ Top 10 Worst Contracts in the NHL (Part One)
Feel free to comment with any contracts you feel should be on this list, Thanks!
5 P.K. Subban New Jersey Devils
Age: 30/ 8 years, $72M/ Annual Cap Hit: $9M(2014-’22)
This one is a favorite of many but if we roll back to when the contract started, Subban actually performed almost up to par. He registered at least 50 points in his last two seasons with Montreal. He followed that with 40 points in 66 games and a 59 point showing in 82 games in his first two years with Nashville. Beyond this point, Subban’s fortunes change. He manages only 31 points in 63 games in his final games as a Predator. Fast-forward to the present day with the New Jersey Devils, Subban has struggled even more. A cringe-worthy 18 points on a team that had promise but has gone backward in their development as a rebuilding team.
4 Kyle Okposo Buffalo Sabres
Age: 31/ 7 years, $42M/ Annual Cap Hit: $6M(2017-’23)
Okposo’s last two solid years seem to be forever ago when he was a member of the New York Islanders. He scored 27 goals in 2013-’14 and put up 64 points in 79 games in 2015-’16. Mediocre performances of 45 and 44 point seasons would begin his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres. His recent performance with the Sabres shows an even more dramatic decline. 14 goals and 15 assists(29 pts) in 78 games during the 2018-’19 season, and this season, just 19 points in 52 games all while being relegated to third or fourth line duties.
3 Bobby Ryan Ottawa Senators
Age: 33/ 7 years, $50.75M/ Annual Cap Hit: $7.25M(2015-’22)
Ryan was once upon a time, an elite goal scorer with the Anaheim Ducks. Starting in 2008, he put together four consecutive seasons of at least 30 goals. Since signing the seven-year pact with the Sens in 2015 Ryan has put up just one season worthy of the contract, a 56 point effort year one into the contract. This was followed by seasons of just 13 and 11 goals scored. A hint of Ryan’s potential showed up in 2018-’19, but nothing spectacular, 42 points in 78 games. This year has been challenging on and off the ice as Ryan spent time in a substance abuse program which resulted in extensive time missed. Ryan has just eight points in 24 games to date.
2 Milan Lucic Calgary Flames
Age: 31/ 7 years, $42M/ Annual Cap Hit: $6M(2017-’23)
Lucic was a rare breed, a true bruiser, who could put the puck in the net, now he’s just a bruiser on the fourth line. We got a glimpse of Lucic’s scoring touch in the first year of this contract, 23 goals, 50 points in 82 games with the Oilers. The past three years, however, have been a different story. Campaigns of 34 points, 20 points, and now this year just 20.
1 Loui Eriksson Vancouver Canucks
Age: 34/ 6 years, $36M/ Annual Cap Hit: $6M(2016-’22)
Eriksson is similar to Bobby Ryan, his best years are way in the past. At one time Eriksson was scoring 25 goals in a season four years in a row for the Dallas Stars. He also managed to snipe 30 for Boston as a 30-year-old in 2015-’16. On to his tenure with his present team, the Vancouver Canucks. It’s not very pretty. Four consecutive seasons of sub-30 point outputs. His high for goals scored in those seasons? 11, yikes!
*Honorable Mentions*
- Brent Seabrook CHI/ 8 years, $55M, Cap Hit: $6.88M(2016-’24)
- Zach Parise MIN/ 13 years, $98M, Cap Hit: $7.5M(2012-’25)
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